CHAP. XXII. 



^CERa'cETE. ^^CETl. 



429 



every side, so as to form a sort of cone, almost like a fir, as exhibited 

 in the plate of this variet}^ in our Second Volume. A very hand- 

 some tree, from which our drawing was taken, exists in the garden of 

 the London Horticultural Society, and, not far from it, a round- 

 headed shrubby tree of the original species. A subvariety of this 

 sort, with variegated leaves, is propagated in the Bollwyller Nursery. 

 Description. A. c. hebecarpum is the British form of this species; and it is 

 thus characterised by Smith in his Eng. F/oni,u. p. 2.31. A rather small tree, 

 with spreading branches ; the bark corky, and full of fissures ; that of the 

 branches smooth. Leaves about l^in. wide, downy while young, as are their 

 footstalks, obtusely 5-lobed, here and there notched, sometimes quite entire. 

 Flowers green, in clusters that terminate the young shoots, hairy, erect, short, 

 and somewhat corymbose. Anthers hairy between the lobes. Capsules 

 downy, spreading horizontally, with smooth, oblong, reddish wings. The cha- 

 racter of the flowers, in being produced upon the young shoots, ascribed to the 

 British field maple by Smith, is one which it possesses, and one in which it 

 differs markedly from certain exotic kinds ; as A. eriocarpum, A. rubrura, and 

 A. monspessulanum ; the flowers of which species are produced from buds dis- 

 tinct from those out of which the shoots are developed. In Britain, it seldom 

 attains the height of more than 20 ft., except in a state of cultivation. 



Geography. This species is found throughout the middle states of Europe, 

 and in the north of Asia. According to Pallas, it is found in New Russia, and 

 about Caucasus. In Britain, it is common in hedges and thickets, in the mid- 

 dle and south of England ; but is rare in the northern counties and in Scot- 

 land. It is not a native of Ireland, and, perhaps, not of Scotland. 



Properties and Uses. The wood weighs 61 lb. 9 oz. a cubic foot, in a green 

 state, and 51 lb. 15 oz. when perfectly dry. It makes excellent fuel, and the 

 very best charcoal. It is compact, of a fine grain, sometimes beautifully veined, 

 and takes a high polish. It was celebrated among the ancient Romans for 

 tables. In France, it is much sought after by turners, cabinet-makers, and the 

 manufacturers of domestic utensils. The wood of the roots is frequently 

 knotted ; and, when that is the case, it is used for the manufacture of snuflt- 

 boxes, pipes, and other fanciful productions. The young shoots, being tough 

 and flexible, are employ ed by the coachmen, in some parts of France, instead 

 of whips. The tree is much used in France for forming hedges, and for filling 

 up gaps in old fences. It is also employed in topiary works, in geometrical 

 gardens, being found to bear the shears better than most other trees. The 

 leaves and young shoots are gathered green, and dried for winter provender 

 for cattle. The sap yields more sugar, in proportion to the quantity taken, 

 than that of the sycamore ; but the tree does not bleed freely. In Britain, the 

 tree is seldom planted for any other purpose than that of ornament, in which 

 it is effective by adding to the variety of a collection, rather than to its positive 

 beauty. The variegated variety is showy, and, if a mule could be procured 

 with red flowers, by cross-fecundation with A. riibrum, we should then have a 

 singularly handsome little tree. Even a red tinge added to the autumnal 

 foliage would be valuable. For the purpose of cross-fecundation, a plant of A, 

 campestre would require to be forced forward in a green-house, or a plant of 

 A. rubrum retarded in an ice-house, as the two species flower at different 

 periods. 



Soil, Situation, Sfc. A dry soil suits this species best, and an open situation ; 

 but, to attain a timber-like size, it requires a deep free soil, and a situation 

 sheltered by other trees. So circumstanced, it attains the height of 30 ft. or 

 40 ft., both in France and England, as maybe seen in Eastwell Park, in Kent, 

 and at Caversham Park, near Reading. In the nurseries, plants of this species 

 are raised from seeds, most of which often remain eighteen months in the 

 ground before they come up, though a few come up the first spring. The 

 varieties are propagated by layers. 



Casualties. The mistletoe is sometimes found growing on this species. 



Statislks. In Ihe environs of London, at Kew. A. campestre, 50 years planted, is 2fi ft. higli; in 



