YEW 



doubted, to the Celtic // or /w, green, alluding to the 

 evergreen foliage of this tree. The French have retained 

 If unaltered to the prefent day. 



Yew, as fome fay, may be derived from the Greek Ji™, 

 to hurt ; and probably becaufe before the invention of guns 

 our anceftors made their bows of this wood : they therefore 

 took care to plant the trees in the church-yards, virhere they 

 might be often feen and preferved by the people. 



Yew is alfo a term ufed by the falt-workers of Lyming- 

 ton, and feme other parts of England, to exprefs the firft 

 rifing of a fcum upon the brine in boiling. 



In the places where they ufe this term, they add no 

 clarifying mixtures to the brine, for it ferments in the cif- 

 terns, and all its fouinefs finks to the bottom in form of a 

 thin mud ; they admit only the clear liquor into the pan, 

 and boil this hrifidy till it yews, that is, till a thin (kin of 

 fait appears upon its furface ; they then damp the fire, and 

 carefully flcim off this film, and clear only the fcratch or 

 calcareous earth, which feparates to the bottom. 



They do not colleft this into fcratch-pans, as at many of 

 the other works, but they rake it up to one fide of the pan, 

 and take it out ; they there add a piece of butter, and con- 

 tinue the fire moderately ftrong till the fait is granulated. 

 They keep a briilcer fire on this occafion at Lymington 

 than in moil of the other works ; fo that they will work three 

 pans in twenty-four hours. See SaI-T. 



Yew-TV.;?, in Agrkulture and Rural Economy, a well- 

 known evergreen tree, the timber of which is much efteemed 

 for diff-reiit ufes and purpofes in hulbandry, and where 

 toughnefs, elafticity, and durability, are required. 



Trees of this fort may be ealily propagated, in moft cafes, 

 by fowing their berries when diveftcd of the pulp in au- 

 tumn, as foon as they are ripe, upon a bed of freih un- 

 dunged foil, either over the whole or in drills, covering them 

 over about half an inch thick with the fame earth : but 

 the latter is the better mode. In the fpring, the bed mull 

 be carefully cleared from weeds, and if the feafon prove 

 dry, it will be proper to refrefh it with water now and 

 then, which will promote the growth of the feeds ; many 

 of which will come up the fame fpring, but others will re- 

 main in the ground until autumn or fpring following ; but 

 when the feeds are preferved above ground till fpring before 

 they are fown, the plants never come up till the year after, 

 fo that by fowing the feeds as foon as they are ripe there is 

 often a whole year faved. 



The plar.ts, when they come up, fhould be kept con- 

 ftantly well cleared from weeds, which, if permitted to 

 grow amongil them, would caufe their bottoms to be 

 naked, and frequently deftroy the plants when they con- 

 tinue long undifturbed. 



In this bed, the plants may remain two years ; after 

 which, in autumn, there (hould be a fpot of frelh undunged 

 foil prepared, into which they Ihould be removed about the 

 beginning of Oftober, planting them in beds about four or 

 five feet wide, in rows about a foot afunder, and fix inches 

 diftant from each other in the rows, obferving to lay a little 

 litter or mulch upon the furface of the ground about their 

 roots, as alfo to water them in dry weather until they have 

 taken root ; after which they will require no farther care, 

 but to keep them clear from weeds in fummer, and to train 

 thena according to the purpofe for which they are deCgned, 

 — for timber in a ftraigh.t manner. 



In thefe beds they may remain two or three years, ac- 

 cording as they have grown, when they (hould again be re- 

 moved into a nurfery, placing them in rows at three fpet 

 dillajice, and the plants eighteen inches afunder in the rows, 

 9^ 



Y E Z 



obferving to do it in the autumn, as before direfted, and 

 continue to trim them in the fummer for what they are in- 

 tended ; after they have continued three or four years in 

 this nurfery, they may be tranfplanled where they are to 

 remain, always obferving to remove them in autumn where 

 the ground is very dry ; but on cold moid laii 1 it is better 

 in the fpring. 



Thefe trees are very flow in growing, but there are many 

 very large trees upon fome barren cold foils. 



It is obferved in the Gloucefterlhire Report on Agricul- 

 ture, that the yew-tree (hould not be fuffered to grow in or 

 near cow-paftures. The leaves are poifonous to horned 

 cattle and horfes, though the berries are efteemed inoffen- 

 five. In January 1805, in confequence of fome fences 

 being broken down by a violent wind during the night, a 

 number of cows belonging to a farmer in Sandhurit entered 

 an inclofed (hrubbery, where there were many yew-trees 

 growing, and continued in it till the morning. Soon 

 after they were driven out, all of them were feized more 

 or lefs with a kind of madnefs, or fuch acute pains as made 

 them run about in a very furious manner, fometimes leaping- 

 to a confiderable height, then beating their heads againft 

 whatever oppofed them, and at laft falling inftantly dead. 

 Oils of different forts were poured down their throats, as 

 there was an opportunity of fecuring them, which feemed 

 to produce a good effedl on fome ; but notwithftandiiig 

 every effort, nine out of thirty died in a few hours after 

 they were difcovered. On their being opened, it appeared 

 that the whole quantity they had eaten, put together, would 

 not have filled a peck. 



An opinion prevails, that the leaves are not poifonous in 

 the fummer : this, however, is probably erroneous, at leaft 

 it is not confirmed fufficientlv by fail to juftify the farmer 

 in fubjefting his cattle to the experiment. If cattle come 

 within reach of the yew-tree at that time of the year, they 

 may perhaps rejedl it altogether, giving the preference to 

 other green food, more palatable, and in plenty around 

 them. 



Thefe trees fliould therefore in all cafes be carefully kept 

 out of the hedge-rows and all other parts of fields, where 

 cattle are fuffered to feed and pafture. 



YEYEAPOUR, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan, 

 in Lahore ; 16 miles S. of Nagorcote. 



YEZD, or Yesd, a large and populous city of Perfia, 

 fituated in a fandy defert, contiguous to a high range of 

 mountains running nearly E. and W. This is the grand 

 mart between Hindooftan, Bucharia, and Perfia, and is, 

 therefore, a place of confiderable trade. The bazaar is 

 well fupplied, and the city contains 20,ooo houfes ; befides 

 thofe of the Guebres, or worfiiippers of fire, which are efti- 

 mated at 4000. The Guebres were an indultrious people, 

 but are greatly oppreffed, being taxed at twenty piaftres a- 

 head, in addition to the various other exaftions of the Per- 

 fian government. Many opulent Hindoos formerly refided 

 here ; but the late governor, wifhing to enrich himfelf by 

 plundering their property, they all fled in one night to- 

 wards Candahar, where they have fince eftabliihed them- 

 felves. The prefent khan has, in vain, endeavoured to re- 

 call them, and there are now only nine Hindoos in Yezd. 

 The city imports the greateft part of its corn from the 

 neighbourhood of Ifpahan. Cattle are alfo fcarce, and an 

 afs will fometimes fell as high as fifty tomauns. The ma- 

 nufafture of filk (luffs is fuperior to any in Perfia ; and the 

 numuds or thick felts of Tuft, a fmall village, diftant eight 

 miles, are equally famous. The fort of Yezd has but a 

 mean appearance ; and the town is deftitute of a wall. 



That 



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