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and of a roseate hue, but its scarcity has prevented its employment 

 in the mechanic arts. Michaux tells us that a spirituous liquor may 

 be obtained from the bark, and we are informed by Elliot that its 

 leaves are very poisonous, destroying cattle that feed freely upon 

 them. 



The Pomegranate tree (Punica Granatum) is indigenous in Persia, 

 Japan, and various parts of Asia, but has long since been naturalized 

 in Louisiana. A syrup is made of its pulp, as well as the dried 

 flowers, which is used as an astringent, The rind of the fruit has 

 been employed as a substitute for galls in the manufa ture of black 

 ink. The natives of India make use of the bark of the root for the 

 expulsion of the tape-worm, a property well known t > Dioscorides, 

 The fruit is pleasantly acid and quite agreeable to the taste. Its 

 flowers are of a bright scariet and of large size, and render the tree, 

 when in bloom, quite ornamental. 



The Flowery Dogwood (Cornus Florida) grows for the most part on 

 the borders of swamps, and in rich soil, and is found in abundance 

 in East Baton Rouge. It is the white four-leaved involucre, which 

 contains a cluster of greenish blossoms, that constitutes the chief 

 beauty of the tree when in flower. The wood is hard, compact, 

 heavy and fine grained, is susceptible of briLiant polish, and may be 

 substituted for numerous purposes to which box-wood is applied. It 

 is used sometimes by farmers for harrow teeth and for hames of 

 horse collars, but being liable to split, it should never bo wrought 

 till it is perfectly seasoned. The cogs of wheels are made of the 

 young shoots, and the forked branches are converted into yokes, 

 which are put on the necks of hogs to prevent them from breaking 

 into inclosed fields. The bark may be substituted for galls in the 

 manufacture of ink. From the bark of the more fibrous roots the 

 Indians obtained a scarlet dye. An infusion of the flowers was used 

 by them for the cure of intermittents. The bark of the stem, as 

 weli as the root, is employed as a tonic and astringent. It has occa- 

 sionally been substituted for Peruvian bark in intermittent fevers, 

 and has frequently been successful. 



The Sorrel tree (Oxydendrum Arboreum) grows only to a small size, 

 where it has been met with in this State. Its numerous spikes of 

 urnlike white flowers, at the beginning of summer, render it some- 

 what an object of attraction. The wood is soft, of a pale rose color, 

 and is unfit for use in the arts and for fuel. The leaves have a 



