I 
L A U 
In Cochin-china. The wood is yellow, durable, and fit 
for building or turning. 
Loureiro remarks, that, in all the fpecies of Laurus 
which he found in India, he obferved always hermaphro¬ 
dite flowers, berries and not drupes, and the leaves peren¬ 
nial; but the latter circumftance is common to almoft all 
trees in the torrid zone. 
Propagation and Culture. Cinnamon and cadi a are not 
fo tender as mod perfons imagine; and the tender treat¬ 
ment of the plants brought to England has generally de- 
ftroyed them. Great heat is certainly prejudicial to them; 
when the plants therefore have taken new root in the 
pots or tubs, they fhould in fummer be placed in a glafs- 
cafe, where they may have plenty of air in warm weather; 
and in winter they fhould be placed in a llove moderately 
warm. The camphor-tree in Europe is propagated by 
layers, which are generally two years, and fometimes 
longer, before they take root, fo that the plants are very 
fcarce; and, as all thofe vve have leen flower are male trees, 
there can be no hopes of procuring feeds from them here; 
but, if the berries of this, and alio of the cinnamon-tree, 
were procured from the places of their growth, and planted 
in tubs of earth, as is direfted for the faflafras-tree, there 
may be a number of thefe plants procured in England ; 
and, if they were fent to the Britifh colonies in America, 
they might be there cultivated, fo as to become a public 
advantage; efpecially the cinnamon-tree, which will grow 
as well in fome of our iflands in the Weft Indies as it 
does in the native places of its growth, and in a few years 
the trees might be had in plenty ; for they propagate eafily 
by the berries, as the French experienced in their Ame¬ 
rican Iflands. The Portuguefe brought fome of the cin¬ 
namon-trees from the Eaft Indies, and planted them in 
the Ifland of Princes, on the coaft of Africa, where they 
now abound, having fpread over a great part of the ifland. 
The camphor-tree does not require any artificial heat in 
winter; fo that, if it be placed in a warm dry green-houfe, 
it will thrive very well. During the winter feafon it mud 
be fparingly watered ; and in the fummer be placed abroad 
in a warm fituation, where it may be defended from 
ftrong winds, and not too much expofed to the direct rays 
of the fun : but during this feafon it muft be frequently 
refreflied with water. It may be propagated by laying 
down the young branches in autumn, which fhould be 
treated in the fame manner as is directed for L. benzoin. 
The bay-tree, properly fo called, may be propagated by 
layers; and the common fort is generally propagated by 
fuckers. Thofe plants, however, never keep to one ftem, 
but generally fend out a great number of fuckers from 
their roots, and form a thicket, but do not advance in 
height ; therefore the belt way to have good plants, is to 
raife them from the berries, when they can be procured ; 
for the plants which come from feeds always grow larger 
than the others, and do not put out fuckers from their 
roots, fo may be trained up with regular items. The belt 
way is to fow the berries in pots, and plunge them into 
a moderate hot-bed, which will bring up the plants much 
fooner than if they are fown in the full ground, and they 
will have a longer time to get ftrength before winter. 
But the plants muft not be forced with heat; therefore 
they fhould be inured to bear the open air the beginning 
of June, into which they fhould be removed, where they 
may remain till autumn ; then the pots fhould be placed 
under a common frame, that the plants may be protected 
from hard froft; but in mild weather they may enjoy the 
free air ; for, while the plants are fo young, they are in 
danger of fuffering in hard froft, even the common fort 
of bay. The fpring following, thofe forts which will not 
live in the open air fhould be each tranfplanted into fepa- 
rate pots ; but the common fort may be planted in nur- 
fery-beds fix inches afunder each way, where they may 
grow two years, by which time they will be fit to' plant 
where they are defigned to grow. The other forts mull 
be conftantly kept in pots, and fhould every year be new 
potted"; and, as they advance in growth, they muft have 
VOL, XII. No. 83a, 
R U S. 313 
larger pots. As thefe plants require fhelter in winter, a 
few of each fort will be enough for a large green-houfe. 
The common bay will make a variety in all ever-green 
plantations; and, as it will grow under the (hade of other 
trees, where they are not too clofe, it is very proper to 
plant in the borders of woods, where it will have a good 
effeft in winter. Mr. Evelyn makes mention of bay trees 
thirty feet high, and almoft two feet in diameter in the 
trunk. In the laft century abundance of thefe trees were 
raifed and kept in tubs, with curious round heads, and 
brought over here from Holland and Flanders. In a warm 
dry fandy or gravelly foil, the bay however will grow to 
the height of thirty or forty feet ; but, to fecure its fine 
verdure, it fhould be planted in fituations defended from 
north and north-eaft winds, from which it fometimes fuf- 
fers in fevere winters ; generally however recovering m 
fummer. The bay fhould never have a branch taken from 
it but in the fpring. As a plant of elegance and beauty, 
yielding a moft refrefhing and falubrious fin ell to a confi- 
derable diftance, it cannot be too much encouraged; and 
to perfons of clafiical tafte it can never fail to furnifh many 
pleafing ideas, by recalling to their minds various fine 
paflages and allufions of the ancient poets. The berries 
are ripe the end of January or beginning of February, 
when they ought to be gathered, and preferved in dry fand 
till the beginning of March. Then, or as foon as the 
weather becomes favourable, on a fhady border of rich 
loofe undunged foil, made fine and v/ell protefled, drop 
the berries in rows fifteen inches afunder, and four inches 
in the row, fifting over them fine rich mould an inch 
thick. As foon as you perceive the plants to heave up 
the earth, refrefh them frequently but moderately with 
water, in the mornings when cold, in the evenings when 
mild weather, and continue to do foall the fummer-months. 
Let them remain two years, watering the fecond fummer. 
Such as are intended to be increafed by layers, may be 
laid down in March or Augufl; the latter is the bed fea¬ 
fon, and by the fecond fpring will make good plants. 
The bay will alfo grow by cuttings, but in the open 
ground flowly ; in the beginning of April therefore pre¬ 
pare a moderate hot-bed of tanners’ bark, and cover it 
eight inches deep with rich loofe frefli earth. Plant the 
cuttings five inches deep, and eight or nine afunder; rub¬ 
bing off their leaves ; water them gently every evening 
while the bed continues warm, and cover the glafles with 
mats during the heat of the day. When the cuttings 
have {hot, let them receive all mild gentle ftiowers, and 
the evening dews. The beginning of Auguft the glafles 
may be taken off, and replaced when the weather begins 
to be frofty ; keeping them open every mild day. The 
beginning of April, following, or as foon as the weather 
becomes temperate, remove both glafles and frames ; con¬ 
tinue frequent and plentiful waterings during the fum¬ 
mer-months as the weather may require ; and the fucceed- 
ing April the plants will be ltrong, well rooted, and fit 
for removal. The plants raifed in any of thefe ways may 
now be removed to the nurfery ; when, having cut away 
their fuperfluous roots and branches, attentively encou¬ 
raging the leading {hoot, plant them in a v.ell-ftieltered 
quarter of light mould, in rows three feet and a half 
afunder, and eighteen inches in the row. Dig the ground 
autumn and fpring; keep it clean, loofe, and mellow, ia 
fummer, and prune the plants annually in April. Lee 
them continue three, but not more than four, years, be¬ 
fore they are planted out where they are to remain. 
The alligator-pear is propagated by feeds, which Ihould 
be obtained as frefli as poflible from the countries of its 
growth ; if they are brought over in land, they will be 
more likely to grow than when dry. Set them in pots 
filled with rich light earth; plunge them into a hot-bed 
of tanners’ bark, which fliould be kept pretty warm; wa¬ 
ter them frequently, but moderately, when the earth ap¬ 
pears dry. In five or fix weeks the plants will come up; 
treat them very tenderly, by keeping up the bed to a due 
temperature of heat; and, when the weather proves warm, 
4 L admit 
