THE planter's GUIDE. 



361 



Scotland it is named the Geen, or Guigne tree, an appel- 

 lation obviously of French origin.'" 



The Cherry, (of which this is a variety,) though 

 originally a native of Asia Minor, (having been brought 

 to Rome from Cerasus in Pontus, by LucuUus,) has been 

 long naturalised to the climate of Europe ; and, accor- 

 dingly, the wild species now ranks among our most 

 elegant forest trees, chiefly on account of the splendour of 

 its blossom during the spring. Ray, however, truly 

 observes, that the wild species is indigenous, and existed 

 in Europe long before the time of Lucullus. " Were the 

 tree scarce,'^ says Hanbury, "and with much difficulty 

 propagated, every man, though possessed of a single tree 

 only, would look upon it as a treasure. For, besides the 

 charming appearance these trees have, when besnowed, as 

 it were, all over with bloom in the spring, can any tree of 

 the vegetable tribe be conceived more beautiful, striking, 

 and grand, at the period when the fruit is ripe V 



The wild Cherry is not only extremely ornamental as 

 a lawn tree, but it is also a hardy and useful plant. It 

 will shoot freely in a soil composed of loam mixed with 

 gravel, (provided the subsoil be tolerably dry,) though 

 not of the richest quality, and rise to fifty or sixty feet in 

 height. Its wood is of superior value, being singularly 

 fine in the grain, and nearly equal to mahogany for the 

 various purposes of cabinet work. The gum that exudes 

 from it is nearly equal to gum-arabic. At Whixley, 

 near Wetherby in Yorkshire, there are some noble trees 

 of this species ; and it is to be regretted, considering their 

 hardy character, that they are so rarely to be seen in the 

 parks of Scotland. 



There is no tree that transplants better than the ^i\d 



* Note XVIII. 



