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sufficiently compact to be used in cabinet work. It may be em- 

 ployed as a substitute for pine and cedar in the construction of the 

 interior work of houses. When boards made of this tree are per- 

 fectly dry, they take paint well, and admit of a brilliant polish, and 

 on this account it is stained in imitation of mahogany. It is also 

 useful for bridges, as it unites lightness with strength and dura- 

 bility. The hark of this tree is strongly tonic and antiseptic. The 

 aromatic principle seems to reside in the resinous part of the sub- 

 stance of the bark, and acts as an internal stimulant. The Indians 

 employed it in the cure of intermittents. But its highest value is 

 its beauty in a living state. Its angled and lobed leaves, and its 

 large tulip-like orange flowers, its spreading and wide branched 

 proportions, render it one of the finest forest trees that grow on this 

 continent. 



The Golden-fruited Orange tree (Citrus aurantium) grows on the 

 coast below New Orleans. It is believed to have been originally a 

 native of the warmer parts of Asia, but has long since been accli- 

 mated in the southern part of Louisiana. It is cultivated for profit, 

 and the orange plantations of the lower coast are the most valuable 

 cultivated lands in the State. I have no data to estimate the annual 

 value of the orange crop of Louisiana. But if the sources of infor- 

 mation were known, a compilation of statistics with regard to this 

 important branch of agriculture in our State would be extremely 

 interesting. The wood of the orange tree is hard, compact and 

 flexible, slightly odoriferous, and susceptible of being polished. It 

 is used to make dressing cases and other articles of fancy work, and 

 the straight young shoots are manufactured into walking canes. 



The Small Buckeye (Aesculus Pavia) is a low shrub about six or 

 •eight feet high. It is found almost everywhere in Louisiana in fer- 

 tile soil. In this State the shrub is too small in size, and no particu- 

 lar use is made of the wood. We are told by Elliot, and such is the 

 popular belief, that the bruised branches and powdered seeds have 

 the property of stupefying fish. When the water of small ponds is 

 impregnated with them, the fish rise to the surface almost lifeless and 

 may readily be taken with the hand. He also tells us that the root 

 is used as a substitute for soap in washing woolen clothes. Its fine 

 clusters of red flowers, which appear in early spring, and the grace- 

 ful arrangement of its symmetric leaves, recommend it as an orna- 

 meutal shrub of the gardens. 

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