1866.] 
399 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
The Bayberry or Wax-Myrtle. 
{Myrica cerifera) 
Near the coast of the sea, and of our great 
lakes, is found growing in almost every variety 
of soil and situation, a low and rather irregular 
shrub, known as 
the Bayberry. It 
is quite dwarf and 
stunted in all its 
parts, when it 
grows in the 
sandy soil of the 
shore, but when 
it is found along 
the borders of 
marshes,it is much 
more luxuriant. 
The usual size of 
the leaves, and the 
general aspect of 
one of the smal¬ 
ler branches, are 
shown in the 
engraving. The 
leaves are entire, 
or with a few 
notches near the 
apex, of a fine 
shining dark 
green, and thickly 
sprinkled over 
with minute resin¬ 
ous dots. "When 
slightly rubbed, 
the leaves give oif 
a pleasant bal¬ 
samic fragrance. 
The staminate 
and pistillate flow¬ 
ers are borne on 
different plants, both kinds are produced in 
small cone like scaly aments or catkins, and not 
at all showy. The fertile flower clusters produce 
several small one-seeded berries, or more prop¬ 
erly nuts, which are at first green, but at ma¬ 
turity they are covered by a whitish granular 
powder, which is wax. This shrub extends 
from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico, and in 
some localities is turned to considerable profit. 
Its fine green leaves, which do not readily with¬ 
er, are extensively used in making up the bou¬ 
quets sold in our city streets, and are one of the 
most available greens for this purpose. The 
great value of the plant, however, is in the wax 
with which the berries are encrusted. The ber¬ 
ries are boiled in water and the wax melts, 
rises upon the surface, and may be dipped off 
or allowed to harden there as the water cools. 
Where the shrub abounds, the wax, or “Bay¬ 
berry tallow,” as it is frequently called, is col¬ 
lected in considerable quantities for domestic 
use and for sale. The wax is greenish white, 
has a slight odor, and is more brittle, and has a 
more greasy feel than beeswax, and it melts at 
a lower temperature than that does. It is used 
for making candles, either alone or mixed with 
tallow. When mixed with tallow it gives great¬ 
er firmness, and the candles in burning diffiise 
a pleasanter odor. The wax is used in some 
preparations for leather, and it is the material 
employed for stifi'ening the ends of circular 
lamp wicks. Another species, Myrica Gale, the 
Sweet Gale, found in wet places, has less fra¬ 
grant foliage, and its fruit does not furnish wax. 
- ■m « --.-w- 
OuB Native Astees. —In this month of Oc¬ 
tober the road-sides and fence-corners are gay 
with the bright yellow of the Golden-rods and 
animals, no matter whether they have two or 
four legs. If one has trees in grounds usually ap¬ 
proached by a curved path, they stand a poor 
chance when snow is on the ground. There 
are certain heathens who will strike a bee line 
with their sleighs and sleds from the gate to 
the house, and if 
there are any 
young ti’ees in the 
way, so much the 
worse for the 
trees. We once 
suffered very se¬ 
verely in this way, 
and when remon¬ 
strance was made, 
all the satisfac¬ 
tion we got was 
the information 
- that there were 
no roads when 
snow covered the 
ground. — We 
know of no way 
of dealing effi¬ 
ciently with these 
two-legged brutes, 
but there are some 
small four-legged 
ones that need 
looking after, and 
whose depreda¬ 
tions can be ward¬ 
ed ofil Mice are 
often troublesome 
in a young or¬ 
chard. If clean 
culture has not 
been followed, it 
is not too late to 
remove all dead 
weeds and other 
rubbish that can 
harbor mice. The little fellows' like to work 
under cover, and the remains of u'^eeds and 
grass afford them convenient shelter. They 
have a grand time under newly fallen snow, 
and it is well to head them off by tramping the 
snow firmly around the trees. Among the va¬ 
rious preventives of the attacks of rabbits, none 
are perhaps more easily applied, or more effica¬ 
cious than that proposed by Doct. Warder, at 
one of our pomological meetings. The rabbit 
is rather fastidious as to its food, and has a great 
dislike to animal matters. Indeed it was long 
ago recommended to shoot a rabbit, split it 
open, and rub the tree with its body, as a warn¬ 
ing to its fellows. Doct. Warder’s plan is to 
spatter the tree with blood. Blood is readily 
obtained wherever slaughtering is done, and 
with a vessel of this and a swab made of corn 
husks tied to a stick, one can bespatter a young 
orchard in a short time. Doct. W. states that 
a single application suffices for a whole winter. 
---I » - 
The Stock and the Graft, i 
It has been a generally received opinion 
among the best observers, both at home and 
abroad, that the stock exercised no other influ¬ 
ence upon the graft that is inserted in it, than 
to dwarf it. Prof. Caspary has published in 
The Bulletin, of the Amsterdam Botanical Con¬ 
gress, an article in which he attempts to show 
that some hybrids have been produced by graft¬ 
ing. That is, that the flowers and fruit upon a 
graft sometimes show a cross between those 
proper to the graft and to the stock. Prom the 
instances—^mainly of ornamental trees and 
the blue and purple of the Asters. Many of our 
wild Asters are prized in Europe as garden 
plants, but they are so common that we seldom 
find them in cultivation in our gardens. While 
as single flowers they are a little coarse, the 
effect of a mass of them is fine, They are 
BAYBERRY OR WAX-MYRTLE. 
readily transplanted, and in the rich soil of the 
garden they are even finer than when they grow 
wild. We have not space to enumerate the best 
species; any that seem attractive in their wild 
state, will give satisfaction in the garden. 
" " f -- 
Young Trees in Winter. 
Many persons seem to think that when they 
have set out fruit trees, they have done their 
part, and if the trees do not flourish, the blame 
is laid to the nurseryman, or they conclude that 
their land is not suited to fruit. Besides neglect, 
trees have active enemies, both biped and quad¬ 
ruped. A good .fence, with gates securely fast¬ 
ened, is a great protection against the larger 
