236 



THE ACACIA. 



In the year 1823, Cobbett drew the public at- 

 tention to the Locust-tree (then scarcely known 

 by that name), and recommended that it should 

 be extensively planted in England, for the sake 

 of its timber, which he asserted to be superior to 

 anything else for a variety of purposes, and 

 predicted that the time would come when the 

 Locust-tree would be more common in England 

 than the Oak." To supply the demand which he 

 had himself created, he imported enormous quan- 

 tities of seeds from America, turned his garden 

 into a nursery, and sold altogether more than a 

 million of plants." But still, not being able to 

 raise enough plants to supply all his customers, 

 he purchased large numbers from the London 

 nursery-men, and fortunate did the applicant 

 consider himself, who could purchase at a high 

 price from Mr. Cobbett, the very same Locust- 

 trees that, under the name of Robinia Pseud- 

 Acacia, were standing unasked-for in the nurseries. 

 We are undoubtedly indebted to Mr. Cobbett 

 for very many of the Acacias that now adorn our 

 parks and pleasure-grounds; but it is far from 

 proved that the ground, which has been devoted to 

 plantations of these trees, might not have been 

 more profitably employed. Loudon has shewn 

 satisfactorily that Cobbett's recommendation of 

 the wood cannot, in many instances, be confirmicd 

 by fact, but allows that sound Acacia wood is 

 heavier, harder, stronger, tougher, more rigid, and 

 more elastic, than that of the best English Oak ; 

 and, consequently, that it is more fit than Oak 

 for trenails." He adds, moreover, that ^'it is 

 very suitable for posts and fencing, and also for 

 the axle-trees of timber-carriages ; but that there 



