MAG 
the bark is fmooth and white, the branches are gar- j 
milled with thick fmooth leaves, refembling thofe of 
the Bay, but are of an ova! fhape, and fmooth on 
their edges, being white underneath. The flowers 
are produced in May and June at the extremity of 
the branches, which are white, compofed of fix petals 
which are concave, and have an agreeable fweetfcent. 
After thefe are paft, the fruit increafes in fize to be 
as large as a Walnut with its cover, but of a conical 
lhape, having many cells round the outfxde, in each 
of which is lodged a flat feed, about the fize of a 
Kidney-bean. This fruit is at firft green, afterward 
red,, and, when ripe, of a brown colour. The feeds, 
when ripe, are difcharged from their cells, and hang 
by a {lender thread. 
In the natural places of its growth, there is a fuccef- 
ilon of the flowers on the trees for two months or 
more, during which time the woods are perfumed 
with them •, but all thofe trees which have produced 
flowers in England, feldom have more than twelve or 
fourteen flowers upon each, which are of fhort dera- 
tion, and are not fucceeded by others ; the leaves of 
this fort fall off in winter. 
The young plants of this fort frequently retain their ■ 
leaves through the greateft part of winter, and often 
do not fall off till the young (hoots thruft them off, _ 
which has occafioned fome perfons to believe the 
plants were evergreen ; but when they are three or 
four years old, they conftantly call; their leaves by the 
beginning of November. 
When thefe trees are tranfplanted from the places of 
their growth into dry ground, they make handfomer 
trees, . and produce a greater number ot flowers ; this 
is to be underftood of America, for in Europe they 
do not thrive fo well in a dry foil as in a moift loamy 
land. The greateft number of thefe trees, which are 
now growing in England, are at his Grace the Duke of 
Norfolk’s, atWorkfop Manor, in Nottinghamfhire. 
The fecond fort grows in Florida and South Carolina, 
where it rifes to the height of eighty feet or more, 
with a ftrait trunk upward of two feet diameter, hav- 
ing a large regular head : the leaves of this tree re- 
femble thofe of the common Laurel, but are much 
larger, and of a fhining green on their upper fide, 
and, in fome trees, they are of a ruffet, or buff co- 
lour, on their under fide ; thefe leaves continue all 
the year, fo that this is one of the moft beautiful 
evergreen trees yet known. The flowers are produced 
at the end of the branches ; they are compofed of 
eight or ten petals, which are narrow at their bafe, 
but broad at their extremity, where they are rounded, 
and a little waved •, thefe fpread open wide, and are 
of a pure white colour. In the center is fituated a 
great number of ftamina and ftyles, faftened to one 
common receptaculum ; thefe flowers are fucceeded 
by oblong fcaly cones in the places where it grows 
naturally, but the fummers are not warm enough in 
England to produce any fruit to perfection, though 
fome old plants do often form cones. Thefe 
trees in their native places of growth begin to pro- 
duce their flowers in May, and continue a long time 
in flower, fo that the woods are perfumed with their 
odour the greateft part of fummer; but thofe which 
have flowered in England, feldom begin till the mid- 
dle or latter end of June, and do not continue long 
in beauty. The largeft tree of this kind, which I 
have met with in England, is in the garden of Sir 
John Colliton, of Exmouth, in Devonfhire, which 
has produced flowers for feveral years •, there are alfo 
many pretty large plants of this fort in the gardens of 
his Grace the Duke of Richmond, at Goodwood, in 
Suffex, one of which has has produced flowers feveral 
years ; and in the nurfery of Mr. Chriftopher Gray, 
near Fulham, there is one very hand fome plant, which 
has alfo produced many flowers feveral years. 
As this Tort is a native of a warm country, it is a lit- 
tle impatient of cold, especially while young, there- 
fore the plants (hould be kept in pots, and flickered 
in winter for fome years, until they have acquired 
ftrength,. when they may be ftiaken out of the pots, j 
M AG 
and planted in the full .ground, but they rmift be 
planted in a warm fituation, where they may b~ 
defended from the ftrong winds, and fereened from 
the north and eaft, otherwife they will not Tifo* 
abroad. 
There were a great number of young plants in Eno-- 
iand before the year 1739 • but a great part of them 
weie deftroyed by that ievere winter, and fince then, 
there have been few good feeds Tent to England, fo 
that theie are not many of the plants at prelent to be 
fold in the nuiferies ; and as almoft every perfon who 
is curious in gardening, is defirous to have fome of 
thefe beautiful trees in their gardens, the demand for 
them of late has greatly increafed their value. If 
this tiee can be fo xar naturalized as to endure the 
cold of our fevered winters abroad, it will be one of 
the greateft ornaments to our gardens ; and this we 
may hope, will, in time, be effected, by diligent 
obfervation and care ; for the time when thefe plants 
fuffer moft, is in autumn, by the early frofts j for the 
extremity of the (hoots being then tender, as they are 
then generally growing freely, a ffnall froft will pinch 
them, and afterward the whole (hoot frequently de- 
cays ; fo that the plants (hould be guarded againft 
thefe early frofts, by covering their tops with "mats 
until the (hoots are hardened, after which time they 
will not be in fo much danger. of differing; for I 
have conftantly obferved, that if thefe plants efcape 
the early frofts of the autumn, they are feldom in- 
jured afterward: in the fevere winter in the year 
l 739~ 4fo I had a pretty large plant growing in the 
open air, which was killed down by the froft, and I 
fuppofed was entirely deftroyed, as there was not the. 
leaft appearance of life in the ftem ; fo that after 
Midfummer I cut it down to the ground, but left the 
root remaining, which, to my great furprize, (hot up 
again the year after. This I mention, to caution peo- 
ple from being too hafty in deftroying plants after 
hard froft, but to have them wait until there can be 
no hopes of their recovery. 
The third lort grows in Carolina pretty frequent, but 
in Virginia it is pretty rare ; this ufually grows from 
fixteen to twenty feet high, with a fiender trunk ; the 
wood is foft and fpongy ; the leaves of this tree are 
remarkably large, and are produced in horizontal 
circles, fomewhat refembling an umbrella, from 
whence the inhabitants of thofe countries have given it 
the title o.f Umbrella-tree. The flowers are compofed 
of ten or eleven white petals, which hang downVith- 
out any order ; the fruit is very like that of the former 
fort ; the leaves of this fort drop off at the befonnina- 
or winter. 
This tree is as yet very rare in Europe, but as it is 
propagated from feeds, we may hope to have it in 
greater plenty foon, if we can obtain good feeds from 
Carolina, for it is rarely met with in Virginia. 
The fourth fort is alfo very rare in England ; there 
are but few of the plants at prefent here, nor is it very 
common in any of the habitable parts of America ; 
fome of thefe trees have been difeovered by Mr. John 
Bartram, growing on the north branch of Sufque- 
hannah river. The leaves of this tree are near eight 
inches long and five broad, ending in a point. The 
flowers come out early in the i'pring, which are com- 
pofed of twelve white petals, (haped like thofe of the 
fecond fort ; the fruit of this tree is longer than thole 
of the other fpecies, but in other refpedts agrees with 
therp. The wood of this tree is of a fine grain, and 
an Orange colour. 
All thefe forts are propagated by feeds, which muft 
be procured from the places of their natural growth ; 
thefe (hould be put up in fand, and fent over to Eng- 
land as foon as poflible ; for if they are kept long 
out of tfie ground, they very rarely grow, therefore 
the feeds (hould be (own as foon as poflible, when 
they arrive here. 
Some years paft I received a good quantity of thefe 
feeds from Carolina, which I (owed in pots as foon as 
I received them, and plunged the pots into an old 
hot bed of tanners bark j and with this management 
I railed 
