64 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



any means so abundant. Many trees have been 

 killed by being stripped of their bark, which is 

 in great demand tor medicinal purposes. This 

 inner bark is an excellent application for poul- 

 tices, in affections of the throat and chest, and 

 for dysentery. Flour made by grinding it, and 

 mixed with milk is a wholesome and nutricious 

 food for infants and invalids. The wood is 

 thought to be even superior to that of the White 

 Elm for hubs, and in the Western States, it is 

 employed in the construction of houses. 



Hackberry ; Celtis occidentalis. — This is 

 usually a small tree ; but occasional specimens 

 have been found nearly forty feet high and 2 h 

 in diameter. Its rough bark, angular limbs 

 and very numerous branches give it the appear- 

 ance of an oak. The dark purple fruit is very 

 sweet with a large stone. It is stated that the 

 wood of this tree is close, fine grained, and 

 highly prized for shuttles. 



White Ash ; Fraxinus Americana. — This 

 graceful tree rises in the forest to the height of 

 70 or 80 feet, with a straight trunk and a diame- 

 ter of 3 feet or more at the base. On an open 

 plain it forms a broad, round head of ,2reat 

 beauty, and it is every where a favorite object 

 of the landscape painter. The wood is white 

 and remarkably tough and elastic. It is used 

 for hoe and rake handles, for wagon shafts, 

 oars, frames of carriages and for furniture. The 

 leaves are effectually applied to mosquito bites, 

 bee stings and even snake bites. 



Black Ash; F. sambucifolia. — The slen- 

 derest of trees, often reaching the height of 70 

 or 80 feet with a diameter scarcely over a foot. 

 It usually grows in swamps, and will not thrive 

 in dry situations. The wood is remarkably 

 tough, and next to white oak it is preferred for 

 the manufacture of baskets. For this purpose 

 it is beaten with mallets until the fibre is some- 

 what loosened, when it is readily separated 

 into thin ribbons. It is also used for chair bot- 

 toms, hoops and coarse buckets. 



Lilac ; Syringa. — An ornamental shrub 

 with hard, close wood. 



Elder: Sambucus. — A coarse shrub, 4 to 

 6 feet high, bearing a broad cyme of white 

 flowers, followed by small black berries, of 

 which a tonic wine is made, while a sudorific 

 tea is made from the flowers. The abundant 

 pith is used in electrical experiments, and boys 

 make pop-guns from the hollow shoots. 



Common Swamp Blueberry ; Vaccinium 

 Corymbosum. — A shrub from 4 to 9 feet high : 

 in swamps and moist woods, the latest and best 



of all the huckleberries. The wood is of no 

 use. 



Witch Hazel ; Hamamelis. — This tall shrub 

 or small tree rises to the height of 10 to 20 feet. 

 It has the remarkable quality of putting forth 

 its flowers, which are of a showy yellow colour, 

 as. late as November, even while dropping its 

 leaves. The wood is white, flexible and close 

 grained. The Indians used the bark for poul- 

 tices to allay inflammation, and an extract has 

 been obtained from it which has some repute 

 in medicine. The forked branches of this shrub 

 were once believed by the superstitious to have, 

 in the hands of certain men, a magical power 

 in indicating the position of hidden springs or 

 wells; hence the name witch hazel. 



Crataegus; Thorn. — A shrub sometimes 

 attaining the size of a small tree. Branches 

 armed with thorns; wood very hard; would 

 polish well. 



Pear; Pyrus Communis. — This tree grows 

 rapidly and forms a tall and finely shaped' 

 head. It therefore combines the valuable 

 qualities of a fruit and a shade tree ; its wood 

 is of reddish-white colour, heavy, firm and of 

 a very close grain, and ranks next to box- 

 wood tor the use of the engra ver. When stained 

 black it makes a good substitute for ebony. 



Pyrus Malus ; Apple. — The wood of this 

 well known fruit tree resembles pear wood in 

 most of its properties, except that it is lighter. 

 It is much used by the turner, and is made into 

 shuttles and walking sticks. Apple-trees have 

 been seen in Massachusetts more than 70 feet 

 high. 



Mountain Ash ; Pyrus Americana. — A 

 small tree, seldom more than 25 feet high, of 

 slender delicate proportions. It is often planted 

 as an ornament to lawns, but its wood is of 

 little value. 



Garden Plum ; Primus domestica. — Culti- 

 vated for its fruit. 



Wild Red Cherry ; P. Pennsylvania. — A 

 slender tree, about 20 teet in height, and very 

 abundant in New England, but on the Ohio 

 River it ranks among the largest trees of the 

 forest. The fruit though bitter has an agree- 

 able flavor which it imparts to cherry brandy. 

 The wood is of a light red color, growing darker 

 and richer with age. It is close grained, com- 

 pact, and takes a good polish. It is much em- 

 ployed for .tables and other cabinet work, and 

 compares well with the inferior grades of ma- 

 hogany. The bark has tonic properties, which 

 are of some repute with the medical faculty. 



