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TIIi: PRACIU AL GARD! NFR. 



America it attains the size of a tree of the first class, often 

 growing to the height of forty or fifty feet of trunk, and thirty 

 feet in circumference, and is considered a valuable timber. 

 Canoes are formed of the hollowed trunks. The leaves grow 

 irregularly on the branches on very long foot- stalks, and are 

 of a peculiar structure, being composed of three lobes, the 

 centre one of which is much shortened, and appears as if cut 

 off and hollowed in the middle. The magnificent large tulip- 

 like flowers are produced with us in July, at the extremity of 

 the branches. 



Plum family. — Of this family, with us the Prunus j^adtis 

 sometimes attains the size of a large tree, but most generally 

 assumes the habit of a shrub of the largest size. Pennant 

 mentions seeing one in the gardens of the Duke of Quecnsbury 

 seven feet and a half in circumference. The whole genus is 

 exceedingly interesting, from the cultivated plum of the highest 

 flavor to the insipid sloe, P. sj)i?iosa. All of this genus de- 

 serve situations in our pleasure-gardens, and are much valued, 

 on account of the fragi-ance of some and the beauty of all their 

 blossoms. The cultivated plum, P. domestica, with training, 

 attains the size of a tree of the third class, and is much prized 

 by the cabinet-maker. 



The Cherry family are nearly related to the latter in many 

 respects ; but, as forest trees, the cherry is more valuable, 

 although the fruit of the uncultivated kinds are less exten- 

 sively useful. Two of our native cherries are valuable as timber- 

 trees ; the black cherry, or Guigne of the Scotch, Prunus 

 cerasus, and the red cherry, P, avium; both species attain 

 the size of trees of the second class, and are ornamental in 

 our woods in spring, from the beauty and profusion of their 

 blossom ; in summer, their fruit is both grateful and high- 

 flavored ; and in autumn, the foliage early takes beautiful tinges 

 of red, which render them great favorites of the artist. The 

 gum which oozes from P. cerasus, is said by Ilasselquist to 

 be very nutritious ; he asserts that, during a siege of two 

 months, above a hundred men were kept alive by no other 

 sustenance than a small piece of this gum, which they each 

 suflered to dissolve gradually in his mouth. The tiniber of 



