PLANE. 121 



yet no tree affords a more agreeable shade 

 than the plane, during the summer months ; 

 and it is worthy of remark, that the foliage of 

 this tree, like that of the lilac, mulberry, and 

 walnut, which are also eastern trees, is never 

 injured by insect or blight. The eastern 

 plane-tree has also the quality of cleansing its 

 trunk from moss and other parasitical incum- 

 brances, by annually throwing off its bark. 



The leaves of the plane-tree are about seven 

 inches long, and eight inches wide, deeply cut 

 into five segments, and are what are termed 

 palmated leaves : the upper surface is of a 

 deep green, and the under side pale. The 

 flowers come out upon long peduncles, hang- 

 ing downward ; and the seed or fruit is of a 

 globular shape, and gracefully suspended from 

 the branches, until it falls to pieces ; when 

 the seeds, which are covered by a kind of 

 down, are transported to a considerable dis- 

 tance by the wind. Thus nature has' pro- 

 vided them with wings, that as they require 

 much room for their growth, they may be 

 scattered thinly over the country. 



" There lives and works 



A soul in all things, and that soul is God, 

 The beauties of the wilderness are his." 



Cow PER. 



The plane-tree seems designed by nature 



