140 TREES AND TREE-PLANTING. 
traordinary effort it sometimes reaches the height of twen- 
ty or twenty-five feet, witha diameter of eight inches. It 
bears a purple flower of great beauty, with an oblong 
fruit with an egg-custard consistency and taste. It is 
most too rich for most people. The trunk of the tree is 
covered with a silver-gray bark, which is finely polished 
and very smooth. It has not been observed north of the 
Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania ; it is a sure indication of 
the richness of the soil. It seldom produces shoots of 
more than five or six inches in length, hence a plant in 
ten years does not reach above three or four feet in height. 
Portions of the wood have a rank and foetid smell. The 
fruit is eaten by few people except negroes; a spiritu- 
ous liquor has been made from it, but it is of little worth, 
and has a very deleterious effect upon those who are in 
the habit of using it. 
