186 



SELECT PLANTS READILY ELIGIBLE 



known. This oil can well be chosen as a means of providing 

 a pleasant substitute for milk during sea voyages, &c., by 

 mixing, when required, with it half its weight of powdered 

 gum arabic, and adding then successively, while quickly 

 agitating in a stone mortar, about double the quantity of 

 water. Thus a palatable and wholesome sort of cream for tea 

 or coffee is obtained at any moment. There exist hard and 

 soft-shelled varieties of both the sweet and bitter Almond. 

 In time, they should form an important article of our exports. 

 Almonds can even be grown on sea shores. The crystalline 

 Amygdalin can best be prepared from bitter Almonds, 

 through removing the oil by pressure, then subjecting them 

 to distillation with alcohol, and finally precipitating with 

 ether. The volatile bitter Almond-oil — a very dangerous 

 substance — is obtained by aqueous distillation. Dissolved in 

 alcohol, it forms the Essence of Almonds. This can also be 

 prepared from peach-kernels. 



Prunus Caroliniana, Aiton. 



Southern States of Forth America. Porcher regards it as 

 one of the most beautiful and manageable evergreens of those 

 States. It can be cut into any shape, and is much employed 

 for quick and dense hedges. It can be grown on coast-land. 



Prunus Chisasa, Michaux. 



North America, west of the Mississippi. On the prairies it 

 is only three to four feet high. Fruit spherical, red, rather small, 

 with a tender usually agreeable pulp. Other species with 

 edible fruit occur in North America, such as P. pumila, L., 

 P. Peunsylvanica (L.), P. Yii'giniana (L.), P. serotina 

 (Ehrh.), but their fruits are too small to render these plants 

 of importance for orchard-culture, though they may also 

 become enlarged by artificial treatment. 



Prunus ilicifolia, Nuttall. 



California. In deep rich soil, valuable for evergreen hedges 

 of intricate growth. 



Prunus Mahaleb, Linne. 



Middle and South Europe. It deserves some attention on 

 account of its scented seeds and also odorous wood, the latter 

 used in turnery for pipes and other articles. The flowers are 

 in use for perfumes. 



Prunus maritimaj Wangenheim. 



The Beach-Plum of North America. A shrubby species, of 

 service not only for covering coast-sands, but also for its 

 fruit, which is crimson or purple, globular and measuring 

 from a-half to one inch. It is not necessary to enter here 

 any notes on the generally known species of Prunus, which 

 have engaged already for years the keen attention of many 



