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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 32X 1 THE XIIRTH AMERICAX -i 1 1 r \ i 1 THE NORTH AMERICAN S Y L V A. I r m. \ THE » / 'j9 ft ^1' , NORTJI vVMERTCAN SYLVA oa A DESClllTTION 01^' THE EOllEST TllEES OK TIIK UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND NOVA SCOTIA, « n.NSIDKRi:!) I'AliTIcri.Alil.V WITH IIKSPITT TO TIIKIIl i;SK IN TIIK AllTS AND TIIKIlt INTItODl.'CTION INTO COM.MIOUCK J TO WHICH IS ai)1)[:d A DKSCIMI'TION 01' 'J'tlli MOST rSKFULOI." T 1 1 10 E l; U O 1' |.; A N F O II E S T T R E V. S. ll-r,llc«TI{ATED UY IJil COLOURED E\(iKAVINUS. TIlANSLATliD FROM TIIK I'RENCH OF l\ ANDllEAV MICIIAUX, .\ll..Ml;i:ii Ul- THE I'lUI.OSOI'llICAI. SUCIIiTV OP I'llILADUM'IIlA in'O. liTl'. WITH NOTES Ijy J. JAY SMITH, MUMiiiiii oi-' Tiin ai:aiii;.mv oi- N.-Tn:Ai. SI-IENCUS, liTC, IN THREE VC'/MES. AOL. [. ROBEPvT 1'. SMITH, PHI L A I) E LIMII A CI. P. PUTNAM, NEW YORK. 1850. LIBPARY PLANT RESE.MaCH INSTITUTE RLSl^ARCrl DiUNCH fintcrrd iirrordiiifr io tl.r Act of Confjrcsfl, in llic ynir ISoO, l,y Ropkht V. Svim, in tin CIcrk'H Ullico of tlic District Cuurt fur the Euatu'ii District uf IVansylvunia. KiTK & Waltun, I'i'iliturs. o 9 6 ^ t I n A Smith, in llic E .i;i,1'1iia, THIS EDITION Of MICIIAUX'S NORTH AMERICAN SYLVA, IS AFFECTIONATELY IN'SCRIDED HIS FRIEND AND BROTHER, J. JAY SMITH. ^ n A r K M V A C I'!. I 'I'liF. foundiilion of tho Nortli Aiiiuriciiii Sylva, was laid by the labo- rious icsoaiclios of the elder iMichaiix ; who, under the auspices of tho French government, devoted ten years, from ITS,") to ITiU), to a thoroutjh exploration of the country, from tho sunny s>ib-tropical proves of Florida, to the cold and iidiospitahle shores of Hudson's I?ay ; repeatedly visitiiin; all the hit^her peaks and deepest recesses of the Aile<;haiiy .MouMtains, and extendinji; his toilsome journeys westward to the prairii's of Illinois, and the banks of the Mississippi. He proposed to Mr. Jellerson, then Sierelary of State, to extend his researches to Oregon, but was pievented from doing so by untoward circumstances. Soon after his return to France, ami the year before he fell a victim to scientific zeal upon the coast of MathiL;ascar, the elder Micliaux published his history of North American Oaks, which may be deemed the nucleus of this more comprehensive work, sidjsecpiently issued by his son, who accom- l)anied his father in the earlier portions of his travi'ls. llevisiling this eoini- try in ISOl, and ai^ain in 1S()7, the son made the extended and toilsome researches of which these volumes are tlje result ; they were lirst published iji Paris, in 1810—13. They were translated into English by Hillhousc, and printed in Paris with French types, in IS 19. This edition has been long since exhausted ; the second Fnglish edition was produced at New Harmony, Imliana, but was carelessly executed on very inferior paper, though like the present the engravings were printed from the original copperplates partly engraved by the celebrated Redoute, which had been brought from Paris by the liberal friend of educa- tion and science, the late William M'Clure, with a view of making the work more generally known among the American people ; his brother and execu- tor, Alexander M'Clure, Esq., of New Harmony, still keeping in view the future utility to the community of these expensive engravings, presented them to my brotiier-in-law. Dr. Samuel (leorge Morton, at present the successor of William M'Clure in the Presidency of the Academy of Natural Sciences, at Mil I'iiiii'A (' i:. riiilatk'lplii;i, wlio luis placed thom, williout chnrf^'c, at llio, -Trvicc n{ i|h- publislior. Ill i)a.s.siiiij; tliis rdilioii lliinuL;,li the pross, I liavo not: IIioml!;1iI it a(lvisal)li; to make cvteiisivL- altoiatioiis in tlie text, but liave left it, wilii some coitch;- lions ill the tiaiislalioii, as it was wiitlcn by its distiiijjjiiislu'd author, addint;; a few obsorvatioiis on soil, pio[)aij,alioii,vSL,c., «Scc. 'i'hL'Si- additions may always bo distinguished by their being enclosed in braelcets. For corrections of IlilUiouse's translation, and in other particulars, [ cannot but acknowledge my great iiidel)ledness to my li'iend Thomas Forrest Button, M. D. of Ger- mantown, Pennsylvania. An improvement in the work would have consisted in rearranging the plate:^ according to the demands of modern Science and nomenclature, but tliis would have recjuired the rcnumljering of them, and thus all the numerous I'eferences to these in other books, would have been erroneous and confused. It was a singular circumstance, and a happy one it lias proved for advanc- ing science, that Mr. Nuttall arrived in this country the very year that tlu; younger Michaux left it. From that lime he devoted his talents to Hotany, and after visiting a large portion of the United States, with an aptitude for observation, a (piickncss of eye, tact in discrimination, and tenacity of memory, riirely possessed by one man, he pul)lished his extended, and most happily executed botanical work, the " (ienera of North American plants," In 1834 he crossed t'ue Rocky mountains, and explored the territory of Ore- gon and Upper Calilbrnia. With his peculiar qualifications, he prepared the supplement to INIichaux's Sylva, in three handsome volumes, corresponding iu size with the present, the publication of which after many delays, was com- pleted in 1849, by my son, in Philadelphia. The two works are now one and homogeneous, the former most highly valued by all lovers of trees, and the latter destined to be equally so, when the fine products of our newly acquired western regions make their way to our gardens and plantations. The frequent references I have made to Mr. Nuttall's volumes, will show the reader that his additions to our Sylva, arc both extensive and important ; inspection will convince him that both authors stand on the highest pedestal of iiicril. J. JAY SMITH. Pliiladelpliia, February, 1850. f Iho Til H NOR T 11 iV M E 11 1 c; A N S Y 1. Y A. ft 1 'i A K S, I.v the i;rcali'r part of North America, ns well as in Europe, tliore is no tree so oeiiernlly useful as the Oalc. It is every where the most highly esteemed in tiie construe! ion of houses and of vessels, and is commonly f-elected for imi)lenients of husbandry. It seems, also, to have been mul- tiplied by nature in proportion lo lis utility. Without insisting' upon the diversity of climates to which it is indii;'enous, we niav oliserve that the number of its known species is already considerable and is daily increasins;-, particularly on the Western Continent, and that its varieties are inllnite. These considerations determined my father, in ISOl, alter his retin-ri tVom the United States, to publish a Treatise containing- diawin^s and descrip- tions of the Oaks of that country, which was favourably received by the lovers of botany and ai^riculture. The following extract from his work exhibits a just outline of this tree : " The genus of the Oaks (Introihict. p. 4,) comprises many unknown species; most of those which grow in America exhibit such various forms while }Oung,that they can be ascertained with certainty only when arrived at matnrer years. Often an intermediate variety so nearly resem- bles two species, that it is dilhcnlt to determine, from the foliage, to which of them it belongs. Some species are so variable, that it is impos- sible, by the leaves, to recognize their identity in youth and at a more advanced age. Others are so simihn, that specific cliaracters must bo I ! I I O A K S. (lerived liom tlio friictificalion, which is itself liable to variations and exceptions. It is only by a comparison of stocks of diU'erent at^es tliat analogous species can be distinyuishetl, and varieties correctly relerred to tlie'ir species. " I have endeavoured to arrange the Ameiican Oaks in a natural scries, the characleis of which 1 llrsl songiit in the fructification: but this allbrded oidy unirnpoiiaiit disiinctions, such as the position of the barren (lowers, whether pedunculated or nearly sessile, and the size and period of tlic fruit. Neither was I able to found my distinction on the structure of the cup: I was oldiged therefore to have recourse to the foliage, which has been made the basis of a division into two sections, the first containing the sjiecies with beardless leaves, and the second, those in which the summit or lobes are terminated I)y a bristle. " 'The interval between the appearance of the flower and the maturity of the fruit is dillerent in dillerent species ; and this distinction I have admit- ted as a secondary character. " All the Oaks are proved to be monecious. We know, too, that on tiie I'.uropean White Oak and other species the female llowers are silualcil above the male u.pon the shoots of the same season ; that both arc axillaiy ; and that, immediately after the fecundation, the male llowers fade and fall, while the female blossom continues advancing through the natural stages, till, in the course of the year, it ripens into perfect fruit, liut there are some species whose fertile llowers remain stationary a whole year, and begin to develop their germ the second spring, piobably because they are not fecundated the first season ; so that eighteen months elapse between the ap[)earance of the (lower and the nuiturity of the fruit. Hence I have formed a subdivision into species of annual and specie s of bren- nial fructification. The female llower which is axillary the first season, ceases to be so, of course, at the falling of thi; leaf. Several species are found upon the Old Continent whose fructification is biennial, such as the Cork Oak, Qurrcus siiher, etc." I have derived great assistance from my father's work, and have adopted his arrangement, which perfectly accords with my own obser- vations. J^ut I have inserted several new species, and have suppressed two that were not well ascertained: the existence of one of them is doubtful, and the other is evidently a duplicate. The chief distinction between my work and his consists in the more extended practical observations ; which are the fruit of my own resear- ches. My constant aim was to appreciate the utility of each sjiecies in the mechanical arts, and to point out those which are the most deserving of attention in Europe and America. If in this respect mine has .some advantage, my father's work will always preserve its title to the attention of botanists and amateurs of foreign plants, by other details not consistent ■ ( ) A K S. :j iatioiis and it ajTcs that • rt'l'cncd to tiiral scries, Ills allbrded rcii (lowiTS, riod of the ctiire of tlio which has : containinfi; , \vhi(;h the maturity of lave ailiuit- loo, tliat on [U'c siiiiaU'il re axillary ; fie and I'all, uial stages, t there are year, and cause tlicy itlis ela[)se it. Hence s of bren- st season, lecies are uch as the and have \vn oljser- uppresscd tlieni is the more ,vn resear- speoies in deserving las some attention consistent ^ 1 I wilii mv phm. 'Ih.'ywill liml lor example, (jiiniarKMis Immall llic au!lmi'> Avlio had previoii-^-sinii, and it increases in productiveness with a'^e. All the species push up shoots from the collar when rut down, but oidv one or two species from the rdol. Aftei' oaks have stofxl in L';nfHl soil, and a suitable climate for five or six years, they ii'row wilh rapidity till they have attained the ai^e of 30 or 10 years, and the lil'e of some species is known to extend to upwards of 1000 years. There are some Oaks in Uritain whiili ar(! believed to have lieen did trees in the time of William the Conqui'ior ; and Plinv nienlioiis a (^lercus Ilex which was an old tree when Unnie was Ibunde'd, and v.hieh was siiU living in his time. The Merton Oak measuics at the surface of the ground GM feet 2 inches. — :lhriililv be transported to the sea-board in emergencies ; a plan which would shade the road and be advantageous to tin; banks of a canal. The Fii-nch (govern- ment has shown a wise foresight in this particular; her tni'iipikes are often thus planted, and the product is at the call of the authorities.] 7 METHODICAL DISPOSITION or THE OAKS OF XOHTII AMERICA, IXCLIIDIXO THREE KUlfurilAN SPECIES. JMunccia puJi/anJria. Tiix.v, jlmoilaceci', Ji;s,s. l'li;ST DIVISIOX. Fiiirliticatitm iiunual. — Lraves hrardlrsg, FIRST Sr.CTION. LcaVCS lohlll. White 0;ik, Coininoii Eurn]ican Oak, Kuropraii Wliite Oak, ]\Io.ssy-cui) Oak, Ovoi-cup Willie Oak, Post Oak, . Ovor-cup Oak, SKCOND mvisio>f S. 5). 10. 11. 1-2. Swamp White Oak, . Chesmit Wliite Oak, . Rock Chesnut Oak, . Yellow Oak, Small Chesnut Oak, QKcron; al/ia. Qiirrciis rnhitr, Qiirrctis rohtir pr.ihmculnta. Qm ram olivn'forinis, (^Kerens nidcrocarpa, Qiicrciis ol)tusilohu. Qiicrcus lyrula. -Leaves Touthcd. Qutrats pr'unts discolor. Qucrcitfi primis pdlnstrin. Qutrcus prinns monticota. (^itcmis prinns acimiinnla. Qucrcus j^rinus chincupin. SECOND DIYTSIOX. Fntrtificalion biennial ; leaves mucronated, {except in llie 13t]i species.) FiusT SECTION'. — Lcttvcs ohluse or entire. 1.3. 14. 15. Live Oak, . Cork Oak, . Willow Oak, Qucrcns vircns. Qurrcus stihcr. (iucrcKs phcllos. CA, .ArETJlODrCAL nrsposiTfoN, i;t( 17. IS. 19. 20. 21. 22. Laurel Oiik, I Upland Wii'owOak, Ixiuuiin^' Oak, Qiinrxs imlmcariu. Qiin-cHs ciiHi-ra, Qiurciis jmmila. SI Dart ram Oak, WalerOak, Ulack .Jack Oak, Bear Oak, . I'.co.ND SIX rioN. — Leaves Lohcd. , Qxcrms hclcropJnillu. > • Qurrrufi (Kjuittini. (^iirrcusfrrriininfa. , (iuercus Ixmhtcri, THIRD si-.cTio.v.— 7,c«L'cs muUifid or many clrfled. 23. Barren Scrub Oak, . , Qnrrcus calcsh^^i. 21. .Spanish Oak, 25. Black Oak, 2(i. Scarlet Oak, 27. (ireyOak, 2S. Pin Oak, . 29. lied Oak. . QiirrcHsfalcdlu. (iucrciis tinctor'ui. (i^itrrrits cocchtca. Qiirrcus itml>'rj;i(a, Qitcrcits pdlustris. %tcrcm rubra. lata. ri/a. nin. r R ] WUITK OAK. CliiEriciis Ai.nA. (i. foliis suliii'ijtiulitry jiiinKtli/idis ; /uiiiiiia (ili/i)iiu.if, ohtimis, ]i/cri(ini/ii(' iiitr;^'crr!in!.s ; J'nulu imijuscido ; ciijjiild cnilcrula ; liibricu- loao-ncubrald ; ghtndc ovald, 'I'liu'ifcuix T tlic ljiiti<(l States iiiul in CaiKiihi, tliis lice is lciu)\vn In'tlio iiaiiu" ol' 117///'' Ihil;. 'J'ho environs ol llii- siiiall town ol' Trais liiciircs in Crtiiiuhi, lalitudi' -K; ' ■J()',iinil tlic lower part of tlie liver Ju'iuielieek in lliu distriet ol' Maine, are t!ie most northern points at wliieli it was observed l)y my tallier and myselt'. Tlienec we tiaeed it alont;' tlie sea-sliore to a distance beyond ("ape Canaveral, latitude 28"', and westward (iom the Ocean to the country ol' the Illinois, an extent of more than I'JOO miles from north-east to south-west, and nearly as much from east to west. It is, however, by no means ecpially dillused over this vast tract ; in the District of .Maine, Vermont and Lower C'anad.i, it is little multiplied, and its vc;i;etalion is repressed by the severity of the winter. In the lower part of the Southern Stales, in the Floridas and Lower Louisiana, it is found only on tlie l)orders of the swamps with a few other trees, which liliewise shun a dry and barren soil. This re<;ion is generally so sandy, that it is covered with a contii\ued £i;rowth of Pines, as will be more par- ticularly mentioned in the desc;ii)lion of the Loni^-leaved Pine. The White Oak is observed also to be uncommon on lands of extraordinary lertility, likt! those of Tennessee, Jver.lucky and (Iiuiessee, and of all thi; spacit)us valleys watered by tlie western rivers, I have travelled whole days in tliose States without seeinii; a single stock, thoui:;h the lew that exi.st, both there and in the Southern Stales, exhibit the most luxuriant vegetation. The Wliite Oak abounds chieily in the .Middle States and in N'irginia, jiarlictdaily in that ]iail of i.'ennsyhania and \ ii'ginia which lies between the Alleghanies and the Ohio, a distance of about 150 miles, beginning at Brownsville on the Monongalula. Near Oreensburgh, Macconelsville, L'nionville and Washington Court-house, I have seen large forests, nine- tenths of which consisted of While Oaks, whose healthful appearance evinced the favourable nature of the soil, though in general they were not more than fifteen inches in diameter. East of the mountains, this tree is found in every exposure, and in every soil which is not extremely dry, or subject to long inundations ; but the largest stocks grow in humid places. In the western districts, where it composes entire forests, the face of the country is undulated, and the yellow soil, consisting partly of clay with a mixture of calcareous stones, yields abundant crops of wheat. J}y the foregoing observations, it appears that the severity of the climate, the fertility of the soil, its dryness or humidity, arc the causes which ren- f: Inoiii.f, nhtii.ti.s, nitd : ItiOncu- known by the (;/,s' liicitrcs ill lUii'hi'C'lv in llie was ohst'rvccl sua- si 10 re to a vard from the an I'JUO iiiih-s st to west. It tract ; in the tie iriultiplioil, III the lower iOiiisiana, it is r trees, which rally so sandy, I be nioie pur- ,". The White tlinary fertility, II the spacious vliole days in hat exist, both veL!;etalion. 1(1 in \'irL;iiiia, h lies between !, bet;innin'^ at [acconelsville, L! forests, nine- ftd appearance eral they were ilains, this tree extremely dry, row in humid ire forests, the sting partly of ■ops of wheat, of the climate, ics which ren- // /'. While Oak \ iii'('ii's Ihmis ihc pronti-st anal();;y to tilt' Kuiu|'-an Diik, »'>*|'' «"liilly to lln' \iiiii'ly (mIIkI I'.uidpiMn Wliilf Oak, f^iii'yciis fivihnit-uhiUt, wlm h il icsi'inlilfs in I'oli.iTr and in llic ii'ialitirs nf Its \\ 1. 'I'lii,' ♦ ificrnMn NMiiii- Oak is 70 nr NU \<-v{ hi^'li, ami (» nr 7 Il'i'I ill Ui.iiii 'Iy the white- ness of the bark, from which il ileiives its name, it is easily distin'j,nislK'ii in the winter. The acorns arc of an oval I'orni, lar;,n', very sweet, con- tained in rouLj,h, shallow, Ljrayish cups, and home singly w in pairs, hy pediiiicdes S or 10 lines in leiindi, aMaehed, as in all the species with annual liiiclilicalion, to the shoots of the season. The fruit of the White Oak is larely ahumlant, and iVeipiently for several years in succession a few hamlsful of acorns coiihl harilly be collected in a large forest where the tree is midliplied. Some stocks produce acorns of a deep blue ctdour ; but 1 lia\'e louml (Uily two indications of this \ariety, one a llourishiii^' tree in the earden of Mr. \V. llamillon, [Now, ISOU, the ^Vondlamls Cemetery] near Philadelphia, and the other in Virginia. The trunk is clad in a while hark, variej^'ated frcipicntly with larj^e black spots. On stocks less than IC inches in diameter, the eiiidermis is divided into sipiares ; on old trees, growing; in moist rjrounils, it is in the form of plates laterally attached. The wood is reddish, and very similar to that of the European Oak, thoiii^h lie;liler and less compact, as may Le proved by splitting billets of each of the same .size ; in the American species, the vessels which occupy the intervals of the concentrical circles are visibly less replete. But of all the American Oaks which I shall describe, this is best and most generally nsed, being strong, durable, and of large dimensions. It is less employed than formerly in build- ing only because it is more scarce and costly. 1 * [In ornamental planlin^j, ihe White Onli shoulil linvr nliiindiint space nrniinfl it for expand, iiig ; under such circuinslunccs il will throw out ionj; liiubd and latLTui Uuiichc:) ul' the aiust picturesque beauty.] 2 10 VV II I T E A K. At Pliiliulelpliia, naltimore, and in llie smaller (owns of tlie Mulille States, tlio frame of all \vell-l)iiilt houses, whether of brieic or wood, is of White Oak. West of tlic Alle^hanics, where J'iiK! hoards are not easily procured, the While Oak is substituted for (ho (loors and for the exterior covering of the frame, notwithstanding its liability to warp and split. It is much used in the construction of mills and dams, particularly for such parts as are exposed to be alternately wet and dry. The wooden bridge, nearly 3000 feet long, that unites Boston and Cam- bridge, is supported by posts of White Oak, from 14 to 50 feet in length, which replaced those of White Pine, on which it originally stood. Tlie excellent properties of this wood cause it to be preferred for a great variety of uses, among which are many articles manufactured by the wheel-wright. Tiiis trade is carried to tlie greatest perfection at Philadel- phia, and its wares are highly esteemed for solidity both at home and abroad. White Oak perfectly seasoned is employed for the frame of coaches, wagons and sledges, for the mould board of ploughs, the teeth of wooden harrows, the fellies and spokes of wheels, particularly the spokes of coach-wheels. In the Northern, Middle and Western States, the naves are also made of Oak, in the country ; but it splits too easily to be proper for this object. Except in the District of Maine, it is always chosen for the bow or circular back of windsor-cdiairs. The wood of the young stocks is very elastic, and is susceptible of minute division, hence it is preferred for the large baskets used in liarvesting, for the hoop of sieves, the bottom of riddles, and the handles of coach-whips, which are braided and covered with leather; at Boston, it is chosen for pail- liandles, and in Maine, for axe-helves. In many parts of the Middle States, the white Oak is selected for tlie posts of rural fences, and beyond Laurel-llill, in Pennsylvania, where it is common, it forms the entire enclosure. The bark is considered by many tanners as the best for preparing leather for saddles and odier sinular objects ; it is little iised however, because in the United States the bark of the trunk and large limbs only is employed ; and on these the cellular tissue is much thinner in the White than in the Red Oak, which is, besides, more abundant. I have been told that the bark yields a purple dye. Though I have not witnessed the fact, I am disposed to believe in its existence, as I received the information from persons residing several hundred miles from each other. But if the colour was not defective in permanence or intensity, it would have found its way into commerce, like the Quercitron of the Black Oak. Of all the species that grow east of the Mississippi, the White Oak alone furnishes staves fitted for containing wine and spirituous liquors. The domestic consumption for this purpose is immense, and vast quantities are WiflTF: OAK. Jl the iMiiKlle • wood, is of c not easily the exterior (1 split, rliculaily for )n anil Garn- et in length, ood. iferred for a jtured by the 1 at Philadcl- \t home and the frame of ;hs, the teeth rticularly the astern States, 5 too easily to , it is always wood of the vision, hence the hoop of whips, which )sen for pail- ected for the a, where it is aring leather ver, because employed ; White than IS rli I have not as I received ■s from each or intensity, citron of the ite Oak alone iquors. Tlie quantities are 4 exported to llie Wist Iiidios, (Iioat ruitaiti, and the l>l;iiids (jf Madeira and 'J'enerido, The Post Oak mi!j;Iil, imlofd, be ajiplied to the same use, but evt-n in .Mars land and \ ir^inia, where it is most commuu, il is not sulliclenlly niulliplicd to supply the local demand. Tin; Uock Chesnut Oak and the iSwainp Wiiili; 0;ik in the Northern and Middle Slates, the Ciic'Siiut White Oak and the Ovor-cup Oak in the South, are ('(uitpHi'L enon:_:li to picvtnt the escape ot' spiriis and tine oils, yet porf)US en(iii'j,ii to absorl) liieni. It' they unili'd every reipii.^ile ipiaiits, and were employed for this puiposc, they would be consumed in less than ten years, Il is well understood at Bordeaux that the wood of the European White Oak is closer grained than that of the American species, and the prelVr- euce is given to our domestic growth, or to that imported from Dantziidc. The American Oak is exclusively employed in Madeira and the West Indies, only because it is cheaper and more easily prociu'ed. White (Jak staves are exported from all the parts of the Northern and jMiddle States, and from New Orleans. Those which come from Balti- more, Norlblk and New Orleans, are I'ar superioi' to those of the Northern States ; the dillerence results naturally from that of tlie soil and clinuite. The quantity of Oak staves exported to England and the West Indies appears, by two oflicial tlocuments that I have examined, to be consider- able. In 1808, the value received by England amounted to more tlian yl-lGjOOO, and the number of slaves sent to the West Indies exceeded 53,000,000. I am unable to fix the proportion o'' the two species of White anu Red Oak ; probably more of the first are sent to England, and of the second to the Colonies. The price of both have varied surprisingly within a hundred years : In 1720, slaves for barrels were sold at Philadelphia at $3 a thousand ; in 1798, at .'*ilS ; and in iSlS, at $30. In August, 1807, before the American Embargo, they were advertised at $55, and in Aj)ril 1808, after that municipal regulation became known, at $100. The young White Oak, on account of its elasticity, is very proper for hoops, but it has less strength and less durability than the Hickory. Among the uses of this wood, the most important is in ship-building. In all the dock-yards of the northern and JNliddle States, except in the district of Maine, it is almost exclusively employed for the keel, and always for the lower part of the frame and the sides ; it is preferred for the knees when sticks of a proper form can be found. In the smaller ports south of New York, the upper part of the fiame is also of Wliite Oak ; but such vessels are less esteemed than those built of more durable wood. At Boston, the tree-nails, or the pins by which the side planks are attached to the ribs, are of this species. To obtain correct notions on the comparative value of the American I 1 1-2 W il I l !•: () A K. White Oak and the European Oak, I consulted French, F'^ni'lish and Ame- rican ship-wrif^lits, in almost all the ports of the United States : They generally agreed that the luiropeau Oak was lon'j;lH'r and more ilura- ble tVom the superior closeness ol" i!s ^rain, hut that the American species was more elastic and required a shorter time, wiUi only half the weight to bend it. This a(lvanlll^e, though important in ship- building, does not compensate tor the openness of its pores. Experi- ence, however, every day shows that by growing in places long inhabi- ted its quality is improved ; and if the American vessels are less durable than those built in Europe, it is because the timber is not thoroughly sea- soned. The greater part of the immense quantity of White Oak exported from the United States is sent to Ei.giaiid. It is shipped fiom the Northern and Middle States, in the form of boards and of square timber : what goes to England from Quebec is brought from the shores of Lake Cham- plain, for Canada probably furnishes hardly enough for its own consump- tion. By an extract from the custom-house books of St. John, which I have already quoted, 143,000 cubic feet of Oak would appear to have entered by this port during the first six months of 1807. Oddy, in his Treatise on the Commcrcii af Europe, says, that in the English dock-yards the White Oak from British America is esteemed excellent timber. The opinion siinply considered is correct ; but that which comes from Balti- more and Philailelphia must still be superior. Before I conclude this article, I must be allowed to hazard a conjec- ture on the consequences of the neglect of all means of preserving and multiplying this tree in the United States; consequences which neither the federal government nor the States have taken any measures to pre- vent. From the increase of population, and from the impoverishment of the soil, produced by a gradual change in the climate, the White Oak will probably, in loss than fifty years, be the most rare in the Middle States, where it is now the most abundant, and in Tennessee, Kentucky, Genessee, and further north, where it is the least multiplied, it w^ill be the most common, and will replace tlie species which now compose the forests, but which the soil will then be loo feeble to sustain. Thus near the river Kennebeck, in the midst of the primitive forests, composed of the Beeches, the Canoe Birch, the Sugar Maple and the Hemlock Sj)ruce, I have observed small tracts, formerly cleared and since abandoned, which are naturally repcopled with the White and Gray Oaks ; and in_the lower part of Virginia, poor Red Oaks, Yellow Pines and Loblolly Pines are extensively replacing trees of a better qualify, .l-last of the mountains, the valleys that lie along the livers are, with a few excej)!ioiis, the oidy phiccs where ish and Ame- Slatos : Tlioy I iiiore tlura- :ie American ith only half int in ship- 's. Expuri- long inliabi- ; k'ss durable )roughly sea- vportcd from the Northern mber : what Lake Cham- vn consump- vhich I have lave entered his Treatise ?k-yards the nbcr. The s from Balti- 'd a conjec- ^scrving and hich neither ;ures to pre- erishment of White Oak the i\ri(ldlo ', Kentucky, ; will be the : the forests, ;ar the river he Beeches, ice, I have , which aro )W(!r part of extensively the valleys laces where v: -««ip»-»««iN. I i COMMON i:U llOPKAN OAK. 13 the Oiik cniilil bo advanla;^('oiisly reared ; but these lertile lands are more profitably devoted to lnisl);iiidry. 'I'lie Aiiuiiraii Wiiite Oak eaiinot, in my opinion, be re'j,ardr(l as ati useful ae(iuisiti()n to the forests of Kuro]K'. Its elasticity whieli renders the young stoeks proper for hoops, is doubth'ss a vabiable properly ; but the Chesnut of France is superior for this p\n pose, because it is more durable. The White Oak is used in the royal dock-yards of f''n'j;land, ))robal)ly because it has been found impossible to procure supplies of I'uropean Oak. Perhaps it is employed only for the hnvur i)art of the frame, while the European Oak is reserved for the upper timbers. If the advantage in this comi)arisoii be allowed to bo on the side of the European species, tlic Americans should lose no time in inlroibieinij; it into their forests. To corporations particularly, whose i)ropeity is less frequently alienated, I take the liljerty of addressin^j,' this advice, which, if followed, would bo productive of o-rcat advantage to themstdves anil to the public. The analogy of the climates leaves no doubt of the jierfect success of this tree in the United States, an example of which is h)unil in the garden of Messrs. J. and \V. Dartram, three miles from Philadelj)hia, where there is a large stock which has yielded seed for several years, and which continues to expand willi vigour. PI.ATE r. Jt branch tvilh Icavs and tirnrnti of //c na/itral size. [Sec NuttalPs Supplement, Vol. I. pj). IfJ. 20. O:}.] COMMON EUllOPEAN OAK. duERcus UOBL'R. Q. folUs ppliofalis, ofj/ungis, r>-/(if)rls^ slnuutis ; lohis rotundulis ; J'ructibus oblongis, sennilibiis. To the particular attention bestowed upon this interesting tree in moderJi times, is owinij its division into two species, the Common European Oak, Qut'rcus rubtir, and the European White Oak, Qitcrciis pcdiincnlola. These two species, which are much alike anil are usually considered as tlie same, grow in the same countries, and freciueiitly together. They con- stitute the greater part of the European forests, from the (iOth to the 35th degree of north latitude, overspreading a great part of the north of Asia and the northern extremity of Africa. They are most abumlantly mulli- u KI.UO I'K.W Win I" K (» A K'. plied on tlio slinios of the Black' Sea, in Gcrmnny, Kriifland, France, and some parts of Italy, wlicre the climate is parlieularly favonrahle to their growth, 'I'Ik! (^omnion Eiirnpoan Oak is from GO to SO feet in lH'ijj;ht, numerously raniificil, and crowned with an ani[i!e and majestic sununit. The hark upon the trunk is tidck, and upon old stocks, deeply hirrowed. 'I'he loaves arc petiolated, smooth, and of an unilbrm colour on holh sides, enlai'ned towards the summit, and very coarsely toothed. The acorns are oval and scsni/e, which is the princii)al diU'erence hctween the two species. This tree prefers high places and the declivities of hills, with a barren gravelly soil ; hence it grows more slowly, and its wood is more compact, tougher and heavier than that of the European White Oak. It is less used for household stidf and other kinds of joinery, because it is less easily wrought ; but is more esteemed for building and for works that require great strength and durability. The Common European Oak is subdivided into many varieties, the most valuable of which are the European J5lack Oak, Qiic.rcusrulmr luinijxinosa, and the Qnerciis robur ghmcrata. The first is oidy 30 or 40 feet high, with small thick leaves, very downy underneath ; its timber is compact and excellent for fuel. The second never rises to a great height ; the leaves are small, but smooth on both sides ; the acorns are of an inferior size and collected in clusters upon a short common peduncle.* PLATE II. ./? hrwich of the Common Fiirojmin Oak with leaves and arornx of Ihc. nafii- nil nizr. EUROPEAN WHITE O.VK. CluLRCus PEDUNcui.ATA. Q, fnlus sribsrssUtbuu, g!abr'is, simtat'is ; fruclibiis oblongis, pcduncululh. TiiF, European White Oak grows of choice in rich bottoms, where the soil is deep and moderately humid. It reaches the height of 90 or 100 feet, and has a large well proportioned trunk, which is often undivided for a considerable distance, and which spreads into a large commanding sum- [For a liinflily intrrcsting account of tliis tree and tlic ensuing one, (J. pcilunculata, sec Lou- don's Arboretum Uiiltutiicum, vol. 3, p. 1710.] EUROPEAN WHITH OAK'. l,"i 'Vance, and Ic to their mimeroiisly The bark The loaves s, ciilnitfoJ e ovjil and s. h a barren e compact, IS less used less easily lat require s, the most iniiiiihumi, I feet high, is compact eight ; the an inferior f ihc natii- niit. 'I'iie bark >ipon the body is very thick, and on old trees, ilceply fur- rowed ; upon the TuMbs ami the young stocks it is grayish, smooth and glossy. The leaves are of a light green on the upper s\irfaco, whitish beneath, widened toward llie summit, deeply siiuuited with blunted points, and supported by short petioles like those of tlie Auu'riean While Oak. They are more or less divided according to the age of the tree and to the moisture of the soil. A part of the dry discolored foliage persists through the winter, and falls the ensuing spring. JJesitles the dillerence of the foliage, this species is constantly distin- guished from the preceding by its fruit, wiiich is supported singly or in pairs by slender peduncles, 2, .'}, or even 4 inches long. Tiie acorns are of an oval shape, from 9 to IS lines in length, according to the age and vigor of the tree, and contained in shallow cups ; they fall about a fort- night before those of the Common Oak. The wood of the European White Oak is of Uie same colour with that of the American species, the sap being white and the heart reddish ; but the texture is closer and the pores fuller, which is probably the reason of its being less elastic, but stronger and more durable. It is generally pre- ferred to the common Oak, as it furnishes larger timbers, splits more regu- larly, and is more easily wrought ; hence it is highly esteemed for the construction of houses and shii)s, and extensively employed by the joiner, the wheelwright and the coo[)er. Throughout Europe, except in the noith of Russia, the bark of the Common Oak and the White Oak is almost exclusively used in tanning. That which is taken from the branches and from small stocks is preferred, because the epidermis is thinner, and the cellular tissue, which con- tains the taimin, more abundant. Oak wood is more generally used in Europe than in the United States, where the dilVerent species of Ash, Biich, etc., in some measure supply its place. The European White Oak would be a valuable addition to the American forests, and I have sent out acorns to begin the formation of nurseries. fruclibtis V here the or 100 vided for PLATE II. *1 branch of the European White Oak w'uh leaves and acorns of the natural size. Lou- [ IG ] MOSS Y-C U P 01 K. QiTRrirs oi.ivKFonMis. Q, fiiliis (ili/iui!:;!s, li'/iiliri.', .in/i/its i-'/diirix, jirnfimdc iniii/iuilitrn/iic siiiuulo-lulnilin ; fnivln ovalo ; ciijni/n itroj'nndinit crulciuli'i, iupcriif criiiild ; ghiiitli: olictrj'onni, I HAVE obsorveil tliis species of Oak only in the state of New York, on the hanks of the Hudson above Albany and in Gencssec, where it is so rare that it has hilluM'to received no specific name. lis leaves are of a lii^ht ^reen above and wliitisli hencatli : they resemble those of tiie Wliile Oak in colonr , but diller from them in form, being larjrer, and very deejjly and irri'tjularly laciniated, -with rounded lobes so various in shape tliat it is impossil)le to fmd two leaves that arc alilvo. The acorns are of an cioni^faled oval form, and are enclosed in cups of nearly the same confir^uration, of whicli the scales are prominent and recurved, except near the ed^e, where they terriiinate in slender flexible filaments : From tliis jieculiarity 1 have derivei; the name of Mossij-cup Oak. This tree is GO or 70 feet in height, with a spacious summit and an im- posing aspect. The bark is white and laminated ; l)ut the tree is chiefly remarkable for the form aiul disposition of its secondary branches, which are slender, llexibie, and always inclined tnwarorlunily of examining its vi od ; as far as I can juiiihlnuinUnnh,prof>iiHlc /i/rfilhni/iir sbviulo- lohalis, obtusis ; Jmiiti nuuimo ; ciiptt/u profundiun cnilcniUi, nuptrnc cri- iiild ; glandc iiirgldc-ovutd. Tins intcrcstin,!;^ species is most nni1(i]i]icd lieyoTid llio Allcglianies, in flie Irilile dislricLs of Kentucky smd West Tennessee, and in Upper Loiusunia near tin; Missouri.'^ It is called by the Americans Bur Oak and Overcup White Oak, and l)y tlie French of liHnois, C/nhic a -^ros gland. Il is a ht'autiful tree, more than (JO feet in hei^^ht, lachMi witli dark IuIUmI foliage". Tlie leaves are larger than those of any oilier Oak in the T niled Siates, being freipiently 15 inches long and S broad : they are notched near the summit, and deeply laciniated below. The acorns, which are also larger than those of any other American species, are oval, and enclosed for two-thirds of Iheir length in a thick rugged cup, bordered with hue flexible filaments. Sometimes, however, in comjiact forests, or in very t.-mperafe seasons, the lllaments do not appear, and the edge of the cui) is smooth and bent in^v•ards. The ihictiiication of this tree is not abundant, and as its wood is infe- rior to that of the White Oak, it is little esteemed in the C'-ited Slates. I have observed, as well as my falhcir who llrsl i;,ade the remark, that the young branches are iVeiiuenlly covered with a yellowish fungous sub- stance, like those of the elm arid sweet (Jiim. PLATE IV. .1 Inif of luilf tlu luilurul !>i2c. I'ig. 1, .l,i .'Icorn in th ra/ nizc. c cup, of the nalu- * [According lo I'ursli uu dry sl:itc or liincsloiiL' hills.] I IS I IH)ST A K, Q,iiK.Rrus onTTiPit.nnA. Q. fnlH.i !i!»7int!.i, avllvfi jtvln scrntHniaJnhh nfi/usis, svpcriorUnis dilutatis, hilohis : fntchi mal'wcri ; i^/undc brcvi-ovutd. Qucrcus stclkta, Wili.d, Sp. PI. I.v New Jersey, near tlic sen, and in the vicinity of Pliiladelpliia, this species is thinly disseminated in tlio foiesls, and has liillierlo been consid- ered as a variety of the White Oalv. In Maryhiiid, and a great part of \ irsTinia, wlicre it abounds, and wlierc its properties are better nnderstood, it is called Box Wliite Oak, r\nd sometimes Iron Oalc, and Post (Jak. The last denomination oidy is used in the Carolinas, Georgia and East Ten- nessee. The steep banks of the Ilndson, nearly opposite to the city of New York, are the most northern point at which I have ol)served it. Even here its existence seems to be secured oidy by the iiiduence of the sea air, which tempers to a certain den'iee the severity cl' the winter. A little further inland it is not fonnd in the forests, in the vicinity of South Amboy, thirty miles nearer the sea, where the soil is dry and sandy, it is more multiplied, and it becomes still more vi'.jorous and more common in advancing; towards the south. Westward, in Pennsylvania, I saw the last individual of this species a little beyond Carlisle on the road to Pittsburgh, 150 miles iVcnn Philadelphia. Near Baltimore, at the distance of 210 miles ii'om New Yoik, it abonnds in the woods, and attains its utmost expansion. In Kentucky and Tennessee it is rare, excejit on the ed feet, with a diameter of If) inches. Its summit, even when compressed in the forests, is dispro- portionately large, owing proliably to the eaily division of the trunk into several limbs, with which the secondary branches form moie open angles than is common on other trees. The branches also are bent into elbows at certain distances, which gives so jjeculiar an appearance to the tree, that it is easily distinguished when the leaves are fallen. The bark upon the trunk is thin and of a greyish white. The wood is yellowish, with no tinge of red. Growing upon a less humid soil, it is less clastic, but liner grained, stronger and more durable than the White Oaic : hence it is pre- ferred for posts, and is used with advantage by wheel-wrights and coopers. In ship building, it is used princi})ally lor the knees, and is admitted into the lower part of the frame. It rarely furnishes side-planks or tindier of considerable length ; for this reason it is less esteemed than the White Oak, and it is, besides, less common, except in JNIaryland and certain parts of Virginia. The preference given in the West Indies to the staves from Baltimore and Norfolk is due, in a great measure, to their being made of the Post Oak. This tree, though only of secondary si/o, should be propagated in America, and introduced into the forests of Europe. PLATE V. Jl branch with leaves atul fruit of the natural size. (See Nutlall's Supplement, Vol. 1, p. 13.) I -.'u I VKU-Cr !• OAK. (Ji'i.iu'cs I. Ml \T \. Q, fi>l!!s siilisrssifl/iiis, •j.ldhrh, /_i/i-iili>.^!niii>s!.i, siDiimHatc ililiiliilii, dinifiailo'liilolii'i, liihis tinittiii!.'jiiifi, ti nuiiid/i /ii(t(.\jtul(} cnjiiilu (It'lhi sMt-.s^obosii, iitiniciilii-sciilifdlii f L::iiintli .ml/lic'ii, r.N till' ['ni(('(l ^ihilps T liiivi' met with tliis ill((■|■l•^tin|,' qicrii's diilv in Hki lower |i:iit dl' the ('Mroliniis iiiul dl' ( ie(ii'.';i;i. ft proliDhly exists on tlie l);iliKs (if llie ?.Ii ssis>;i|)|ii ju f.nwei' r,oiiisi;i;in, nrid I l';'\c olisnved it dii the St. Jdliii ill I'l.ist Fldiidii, in .sltiiutidiis iiiiiildeoiis to iliose in uhieli it lloiirislies ii little i'lirlher iidftli. In (ie(ii;^'ia anil (•iiKilina it is not exleii- sively iiinltiplied, and has been distinu'iiished only l>y llie inlialiitanls dftlit! ))lace.s wlieio it i'Tows. Ii is cidlrd Swainii ''"^' "iil^S t 'vei-cui) Oak, and ^Vatl■|■ White Oak. 'I'lie lirsl ol' these deiioininati'ins indicates an analoL'y between its I'oliage and that df the I'ost Oak, and tin,' seeond, a reinaikalilu ])eciiliai'ity of its fruit, fit' which the acoiri is eoveicd liy the cup. The name of Ovcr-ciij) ()ak is the iiidsl coiiiiiion in South ('arolina, and that of Swamp Post Oak on the Savannah in (jeor';la. The Over-cup Oak i^iows in more humid situations than any other species of this o-eniis in the I'nited Slates. It is never seen in the lone; narrow marshes which intersect the piiic-harrens, Inil is I'ound excliisividy in the great swamps on the borders of tin; rivers, which art; often o\eilIowcd ..t tiie risini4' of the waters, and are inaccessible dmiii^' three-ipiarlers of the year. In these i^ioomy forests it is united witii the LarL!;e Tupelo, White Elm, Wahoo, Planer Tree, Carolinian Poplar, Water JJitlenuit Hickory and Water Locust. It expands to a majestic size, and the inlluence of a deep and constantly humid soil is shown in the luxnriancy of its veijetation. On the banks of the Savannah I have seen stocks which were more than SO feet high and ii'om S to 12 feet in ciiciimleri'iicc. 'I'he leaves are (J or S inches long, smooth, narrow, lyre-shaped, decjily siiiuatcd, and borne by short petioles. The lobes, particularly the two upper ones, are truncated, and from their resemblance in this respect to those of llie Post Oak, is derived the name of Swamp Post Oak. The foliage is thick and of a light agreeable tint. The acorns, unlike those of the (Jaks in general which arc of an elongated oval shape, are broad, round, and ilepressed at the summit : they are some- times from 12 to IS lines in diameter from side to side, and from (J to 10 lines from the base to the summit. The cup, which is nearly closed, is thin, and its scales are terminated by short iirin points. Tlie bark upon the trunk is white, aiul the wootl, though inferior to that of the White Oak and the Post Oak, is iiiort' compact than would be sup- i IK-- it!.i,>iinii)ii!fiifi< ics only ill tlio exists nil tlic 'isrrvi'd il (111 St.' ill wliich i(. is not oxti'ii- iihitiiiils ortla; I'lii) ( lak, mill I's nil uiiiiloL'y a rciiiiiikiilili; It' cup. 'I'lll- ;i, and lliiit uf \n any other 1 ill the loiiiT cl exclusively 'II ovcrllowed luartersoftlie iipclo, Wliite riuit Hickory 1(1 constantly the banks of :ct liii^h and inches loiii,', liort petioles, d liom their ed the nanio Jieeable tint, an elongated ey are soine- I'loin 6 to 10 ly closed, is I feiior to that 3uld be sup- iL^ 4 4 /'J A /'.'/!../.;,/.■././ ()\ / 1// if /if. It *i ( /:,:...., ,M SN\amj) \\ liHo Oak /: - yi.1^2 'I ll ii '\i SWAMP wiirri: oa k'. II posed finni tliu soil in wliicli it throws; llie pores an- ohsoiviilile only between the conuentncal circles, ami are more regularly disposed tliaii in otlier trees, Tliis species is the larj^est ami the most hi;j;li]y esteemed among the Oaks that grow in wet gronmis. Its propagation should he a(tem[)led in the forests of Europe, where no (li)ul)t can l)e entertained of its success. The acorns which I sent to I'ranec! several years since, thougli sown up(Ui uplands, liave produced nourishing })lants, whicli hear the winter of Paris without injury. \ I PI.ATi': VI. ^ branch with leaves andJruU of the naturul size. SWAMP WIUTK OAK. QuERCiis PRiMis niscoi.oR. Q. fiillis ()hlii/ia'i>-o!iitriifi.i sv/ilhs- alhn-lomrntnuh, iHTnsse (Iriitntis, /ki-s! inleu;rriiiiiis, deii/i/nia iiurquaHhuH di/iilalis ; J'rticlihits longe peduneidulis, Qinrcus t)iruli>r. Wir.i.i), Tins species is known in the United Stales oidy l)y tlie name of Swamp White Oak, whicli indicates at once the soil which it prefers and its analogy to the White Oak. I fust observed it near Portsmouth in New Hampshire; but it is less multiplied in this latitude than in the Aliddle and Western States. It particularly attracted my attention in New Jersey near the city of New York, on the Delaware in Pennsylvania, on tlie Sus(|uehanna in Virginia, and beyond the mountains on the Ohio in Kentucky and on the Ilolston near Knoxville in East Tennessee ; I have also seen it on the shores of lake Champlain and lake Ontario. Except the District of Maine and the maritime parts of the Southern Section, it is dilRised throughout the United States ; in comparison, however, with several otlier species, it is not com- mon, being found only on the edges of swamps and in wet places exposed to inundations, and not in the forests at large, like the While Oak, the Black Oak, &c. In New Jersey it is associated with the Pin Oak, the Red-Uowering Maple, the White Ash, the Tupelo and the Shell-baik Hick- 22 SWAMP WHITE OAK. oiy. On the shores of Lake Chainplain, whicli occasionally oiler siniilar situalions, particiilaiiy at a little distance t'lonuSkcensbomuffh, it is mingled with the While Mii|ik.s, which uccuiiy the next line to the Willows in retiring from the slioie. The Swamp White Oak is a beautiful tree, more than 70 feet in height, of which the vegetation is vigorous and the foliage luxuriant. The leaves are G or S inches long and 4 inches broad, smooth and of a slightly dark green above, downy and light colored beneath ; they are entire toward the base, which is cuneiform, but are widened and coarsely tootlied for two- thirds of their length toward tlie summit. The tree is distinguished when young, by the form of its base and by the down upon its leaves, which is more sensible to the touch than on any analogous species. At a riper age the lower side of the leaf is of a silvery white, which is strikingly contrasted with the bright green of the ujiper surface ; hence the specillc name of discolor was given it by Dr. Muhlenberg. The acorns are sweet, but seldom abundant ; thoy are rather large, of a brown complexion, and contained in a spreading cup edged with short slender fdanicnts, more downy within than those of any other Oak, and su])ported by peduncles 1 or 2 inches in length. The trunk is clad in a scaly grayish-white bark. The wood is strong, elastic, and heavier than that of the White Oak. In slocks more than a foot in diameter, the grain is fnie and close, and the pores are nearly oblit- erated. It splits easily, and in a straight line, and is esteemed next in quality to the While Oak, though from its rareness it is but accidentally employed in the arts. If, as I incline to believe, the Swamp White Oak is found by more accurate experiments to be superior to the While Oak, it must be consi- dered as a very valuable tree, and its increase sliould be favoured at the expense of the Red-flowering Maple, the lUtternut Hickory, the Hornbeam, and other species which grow in the same exposures. It seems also to deserve a place in the forests of Eurojie, where, in moist grounds, it might be blended or alternated with the Ashes, the Alders and the Poplars. PLATE VII. .ne(l in my father's botanical not(\s u])on Lower Canada ; it is likewise a stranger to the maritime parts of the Soulhern States. It is most frei|uently met wilii in the Middle and in .some parts of the Norlhern Sections ; but is rarely mingled with other trees in the forests, and is found only on high grounds thickly strewed with stones or covered with rocks. Thus it is often seen on the steep and rocky banks and otlior I a stiaif^ht nen;roes for • .>v York for 10 or 12 dollars a cord. The epidermis is strongly impregnated with the tanning principle, which in other species resides only in the cellular tissue. The wood is reddish like that of the White Oak, but its pores are more opeU; though its specific gravity is greater : pieces of both species being thrown into water, the While Oak remains on the surface and the other at the bottom. Its staves are not used to contain spirituous liquors. At New York and on the banks of the Hudson, it holds the next place to the White Oak in the construction of vessels. It is employed for the lower 26 V K L I. O VV U A K. part of the f'rami', and oftciier tor tlio knees and the ribs : pieces of White Oalcsiiit((l to these objncts arc procured witli difficulty; l)iit the Roclc Chrsniil daiv, f^rowin^i; up in a continual controversy wilh tlie winds, is more licfpiently bent inio tlu' proper sliape. For fuel, it is next in price to tlie Hickory. I have been told in several foro;es, especially those at the foot of the Nort/i Mnuiihiiti, 200 miles fioni Philadelphia, that it is superior in this respect to every olher spi-cies ol' its yeiius excejit the Live Oak. A tree like this, which i^rows in stony soils, in abrupt uninhabitable exposures, and whose bark and tiud^'r are so valuable, deserves the parti- cular attention of American and European foresters. They should sow the acorns in the crevices of the rocks, and wherever the soil is incapable of cultivation. Thousands of young plants already exist in the vicinity of Paris. PLATE IX. .'/ branch irllh leaves and fruit of I lie natural sizr. [See Nultall's Supplement, Vol. 1, p. 23.] YELLOW OAK. Qdercus PRTxrs AcrjiiNATA. Q. f His lnn;x(' pflio/alis, acitminatis, sub-seqital- iter dintatis ; fruclu incdiocri ; cupula aublicmisphiprica. Qucrcus castanca. Wim.d. TiiF. banks of the Delaware may be assumed as the northern limit of the Yellow Oak. It scarcely exists in the maritime parts of the Southern States, where I have seen oidy a few stocks near Two Sisters' Ferry on the Savannah in Georgia, and a single one on the Cape Fear, a mile from Fayetteville in North Carolina. In the Middle and Western States, though more common, it is still rare in comparison with many other trees, and is sometimes lost sight of by the traveller for several days in succession. I have most particularly observed it on the small river Concstoga near Lan- caster in Pennsylvania, on the Monongahela a little above Pittsburg, and in several small tracts near the Ilolston and Nolachukyin East Tennessee. 'I 1 (>i/i/ti..< /' i/<, ■///;//////, f . ,sl c\ lo lb tu vi:lli»\v (>a k. I In tlie Moiin;;r:i[)!iy nl' AiiiciiiMii Oaks, my iiiilii'r takos iiolict! of its oxis- t(Mice id tlie coniiliv ol'llic lUincis. Near l.aiii'asU'r tliis tree is callfd Yi'Ilow Oak, I'loin tin' comiili'vioii n[' ils wooil ; Imt in nilici- pails ot liic I i.itcil Stales il is roiirouinlcil will) llic Ciiusiuit While Oak anil Kock (licsnui ' )ak, lu wliicli il jji'ais siinn! roscni- Ijlancc ill its folia j', 'I'iic leaves aic lanriciate, aeuminale, le'/nlarly tnoMieil, of a ii^lit "reeii ai)'ivc and \vliiii>li lieneaili. Tlie small ai'oiiis are contained in sliyiitly scaly cn[)s, and are swi'eler llian iLose ol any olh' r speeies in tlie I nitcd Mates. The Vt ilow Oak is a fuu! tree, 70 or SO feet lii'^li and "i feel :ii diameter, villi brunelies tendinis; rather to close ronnd liie tnndi than to dilliisi! IheinsL'lvL'S horizontally. I invariaidy fonnd M in valleys wIhmc llie soil was loose, doep and I'ertilc. The li uk upon the trunk is whitish, very .sti^ditly liirrowcd, and sometimes divided into plates, like tiiat, of ihc Swamp While Oak, The wood is yellowish, thon'j;h the tint is not bright eiioiinh to 111 il lor peculiar uses. Ils ])ores are jiartly ohlilerated, irr(.'L,ni- liU'ly disposed, and niort,' nnineroiis than those of anv oilier Anu'rican Oak: this nrt);ani/cation must impair its strcii'^th and render it less dmaMe than the C liesnul While Oak and the l{ock ("hesnut Oak. As this tree is so thinly disseminated, il will not app lar siirprisin|jf Ihnt I slioulil not have witnessed the ap])licalinn of its wood in the arts, or have found occasions of accurately ai)precialinu; i's fpialilies. Its a'^reeahle ibrm and boautil'ul foliage render it proper for the einbellisluncnl of pic- turesque gardens. PLATJO X. ,1 branch u'llh haves and frail of the natural size. . I '.'S J SMALL C:ili:SNUT OAK. Cii KRcus riiiNra ciiiNfAi'iv. (^. J'd/lifi o/ioratis irroum- (knlalis, suIjUih :^l(iiici3 ; ci'jiula /lunitjt/iiiiUui ; glamlc ovulu, QucrciiH |irini)iilc'N, Wii.i.d. In tlic Xortliorn and Middle States tlils picKy littlu spcc'ip.s is railed Small or Dwarf ("lifsmil Oak, iVoiii the ri'.sciMhiaiice of its Icavt's to tiiosc of till- llock C'lii'smit l>ak; as llicri- is also a likfncss hi'twci'ii its lolia<^o and llmt of the Cliiiicapiii, it is known in V.\\\\. 'I'liinessee and in the upper part of the Carolinas liy the name of Cliincapin Oak. The Small Chesmit Oak is not ^fenerally diirused, hut is rare in many plares adapted to its constitution, and is usually found in particular districts, where, alone or uiinifled with the IJcar Oak, it sometime covers tracts of more than IIK) acres. 'I'he presence of these species is a certain pmof of the harrenness of the soil. I have parlicidarly observed the Small Chesimt Oak in the vicinity of ['rovidence in Kliode Island, of Alhany in \c\v York, of Kuowille in 'I'cuiii'ssee, and on the Allei^liany Mountains in \ ir- jiinia. It grows spontaneously in the park of Mr. W. Ilaniilton near Phil- adelphia. This s[)ecies, and another which is found in the I'ine forests of the Southern Siatts, raiely exceed 3(.) inches in height: they arc the most diminutive of the American Oaks, and are mentioned only to comjilele the series. The leaves of the Small Clipsnnt Oalc are oval-acuminate, regularly hut not deeply denticulated, of a li^ht green ahove and whitish heneath. 'J'he acorns are enclosril lor one-third of their length in scaly sessile nips ; tiny are of uiiddle si,^e, somewhat elongated, simihuly rounded at Loth emls, and very sweet. Nature seems to have souglit a compensation for the diminutive size of this shrub in the aimndance of its fruit: the stem, which is sometimes no biLjger than a (piill, is stretclied at full length upon the ground by the weight of the thickly clustering acorns. Inited with the Hear Oak, which is of the same size and e(pi.i'ily [irolillc, perhaps it might be cidtivated with advantage for its fruit. PLATE XL ,i branch with haves aud fruit of the natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, Vol. 1, p. 23. J Small ('l\(\snul Oak ( '//,■/■(■.•/■• r- .-A 'mix '/'III '/" li i! nU m ft ■';../.,„/.'■ ./■/' // /. l.ive Oak ('J.'/, /<•//.>■ I't/rfhw ///. 1 I L •-'" J MVK OAK. ClrKKci's viRKNS. Q.foHh pcrnmanlihux, coriucrh, ovafn-nliliDi'iis, JuniorHiin (knfitlis, vctiisl'iDrihiis inlru^ri.s ; ciipttld ttirbtinilii, sijiiainulii a/jl/rii lalin ; g/uiule vbhit'^d. Tins si)('i'I,'>;, wli'icli is coiifiiiril tii tin; iiiiui'inii' p'uts of tlu' Soullicrn Slati.-.s, tlic l'"li)ii(!,is iiii'l Louisiana, is kiinwii only hy tin; iiamu of l/ivc Oak. 'I'lu' climatr hrcoiui's iiiiKi oiuiuili lor its !j;r()\vlli near Noilnlk in Vii'^inia, tlioiiuli il is less miilti|)ru'il ami Irss viuoioiis lliaii in a iikho soiitlicrii laliiiidc. I''i(iui Noil'njk il siHcails alcirj,' tin' roast lor a ilisiancc oI'IjUOoi 1801) miles, cxhMurm'j; Iirvoml lln' moiiili ol' tin; .Mississippi, The sea air seems essential to its existence, lor il is larcly loinnl in the forests upon tiio main laml, and never more than l.'j or 20 miles from the shore. Il is the most alunulant, the most fully (levelopeJ, and of the licst (jual- ity about the hays ami ereelcs, au.l on the lerlilt' i-lamls, Avhieh in <,oeat numbers lie seaUeied t'oi S(;veial hiindii'd miles alomj; tlie coast, I pariicii- larly observed it on the islands ol' St. Sinion, Cuinhciland, .Sapelo, etc., ])et\veen the St. John and the ^i. .Ma:y, i:i an I'xeursioii of -100 or TiOO miles in a canoe, from Cape (,'anaver.d in f/ast lloiida to Savannah in (ieorifia. I freipu'iilly saw it upon the beach, or halt' buried in the mova- ble sands upon the downs, wheieit hail pii'served its freshness and vii^our, tliiniiih exposed timing a hmii,' lapse of time to the liny oi' tjie wintry teni- })est and to the ardour of the sununer's sun. The Live Oak is commonly tO or l.j feet in heiii;hl, and from one to two feel ill diameter ; but il is sometimes mucii larger; Mr. S. presidenl of llie Agricultural vSociety of Charleston, assured me that he liml t'elled a trunk, hollowed by ai;e, which was "21 feel in circumlereuce. Like most other trees, it has, when insulated, a wide and tufted summit. Its trunk is sometimes undivided for IS or 20 I'eel, but otten ramifies at half tiiis height, and at a distance lias the app<'arancc of an old Apple Tree or Pear Tree. The leaves are oval, coriaceou-;, of a daik green above and whitish beneath ; they persist during sever d years, and are partially re- newed every spiiiig. On trees reared upon plantaiions, or growing iu cool soils, they are one half larger, and are often denticulaied ; upon stocks of two or three years they are commonly very distinctly toothed. The acorns are of an elongaleil oval ibrni, nearly bhudv, and contained in shallow, grayish pedunculated cups. The Indians are said to have .i-^'i expressed an oil from thein to mingle with their food ; perhaps, also, they 30 LI V i: () A K. ate the kpinol, wliich, tlioii'/h n bitter tl ol ;ii.;i('(>;ilili' to tlio taste, is loss rouijh niid III tl i;il nl iiKiiiy ollii'i- s|Kcii's. '11 II! Iruil IS sdiiu'liiiii's very ahiiii- ilnnt, and it gcnninates willi sucli caso llial if llio wcalhcr is rainy at (he season of its luatiirilv, many acoins arc limnd upim the trees witli Ihc^ raiiieK iiiiUiKied. The \)aik u\Hm the trimk is blarkisli, liani, and thick. 'I'iie wood is heavy, compaet, fme-j^nained, and ol' a ydhnvish eohir, wliicii deepens as the tree advances in a^e. Tlie numlicraiid chiseiiess ot'the eonoeiilrieal ciiek's evince tlie slowness of its <;ro\vth. As it is very strong;, and ineoiu- parahly more dural)io than the iiest White Oak, it is hiudily esteemed in ship l)iiildiii'.]f, and is eonsiimi'd not only in the coiinlrv whii h produces it, ])iit slill mori' extensively in the Xorthcin States. From its j^reat diirahi- lity when jierfeelly seasoned, it is almost exclusively employed for the upper part of the frame. To compensate its excessive weight it is joined with die Ixcii Cedar, which is exti'ciiu'lv li dil and e(|ua!lv lasliier. Tlie f^i •(■ Oak docs not adbrd lar!j,i; timber; but its wiile ami hranchinj:; summit makes amends for this (lisad\'antaLre by I'urnishinii a 'j,rcat number of knees, of which tin re is never a snllicicnt (junniily in the doi'k-yards. The vessels built at New York and Pliiladcljihia, with the upjici' frame of Ivcd Cedar and 1/ive Oalc, and tlii! Iowim' timlici's of While Oak. ari' as durable as those constructed of the best maleiiiils in Europe. Ilrckd, vhom I have already ijuoted, says that the best tree-nails are of lave (Jak ; but at present it is replaced, in the Southern Stales, by the Locust and the heart of the Lomj;deaved I*ine. In the South, particularly at Charleston and Savannah, this species is used for the naves and fellies of heavy wheels, for which it is far superior to the White Oak ; it is more proper, als(>, for screws and for the cogs of mill- wheels. The bark is excellent for tannini;, but is only accidentally employed. Besides the lave Oak timber expoited to Rni;!and, p;reat ([uantitics are used in ship-building in the United Stales, particularly at Boston, New York, I'hiladelphia and Baltimore. The eonsiimplion lias trebled within twenty years, in consc(iu/ iice of the immense development of American commerce, llenec the price has doubled, and the species is rapidly diminishing. The clearing of the islands for the culture of cotton, wdiieh they yield of a superior (puility, has contributed greatly to its destruction. It is already dillicult to procure sticks of considerable size in tlie Southern States, and tlicy aie sought on the western coast of East Florida between the St. Mary and the St. John. From St. Augustine to the Capo the species is rarer ; but we are informed that it abounds on the shores of West Florida, whither the English of the Bahama Islands resort for supplies. As the Live Oak, from the peculiarities of its constitution, is multiplied m OSS routih mid cs very iihiiii- s rainy at I he COS with the, Tlic wonil is hich cloi'peiis a c()ni''(Miti'ical ^, and iiicdiu- ■ oslceiiH'd ill i prochicos it, ;j;rc>at diiiahi- lo\('d for ihu t it is JDined Jtinp;. nd binnnhinc; 'j,i(".it nuii)l)L'r lock-ynrds. i- u|i|)i'r i'raiiie Ic ( )aiv'. ail' as ()\10. |]irkcl, ol Live Oak ; 3 liocust and ;p('cios is used lupei'inr to tlie ; cogs of mill- emplnycd. 3at (puuititif's ly at Boston, a has trebled ivelopment of he species is ure of cotton, greatly to its islderable size coast of East Angustine to )ounds on the Islands resort , is multiplied \ i PI ..< (oik Oak PI V V (ftlfric/ . •'!'/ '"/ # ^ \ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) k /, {./ A % 1.0 I.I I Ids 12.0 6" L^ i U IM V] "■a / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 V v :1>^ ^ <^ ^^. ''h o I/.. & C ]{ K () A K. 31 with flilFiciilty, I cnniiot l)ut onnsider i's (lis;ipprai-nn(>(' throiip;l)oiit llic Uni- ted Sr;ito=i wi'liin fitly years as luTirly cer!aiii. It will llu'ii ho fosiiid only in the form of a shnili, like I'le (hi, reus lir.r, which Ibi'nieily skilled the southern coast of Franco and Italy. PL Air: XII. Jl branch irilli haves and J'rii'.i of the nalurul size, [Sec Xuttall's Supplement, vol. I., pp. Ifi. 19.] CORK OAK. (iuERcus sUBER. C^. foliis ovafo-oblmip^is, indivisis, serralis, stibfus glands ; cnrtice riinoso,J\iugoso, TiiF, Cork Oak grows naturally in the southern parts of France, in Spain, Portugal, Italy and the States of Ijarhary, which are comprised hetwcen the 44th and 35th degrees of latitude. It rarelv exceeds 40 feet in heii^ht and 3 feet in diameter. Its leaves arc evergreen, hut the greater part of them fall and are renewed in the spring ; they are ovate, thick, slightly toothed, of a light green on the upper surface and glaucous beneath. The acorns are rather large, oval, and half enclosed in a conical cup, and being of a sweetish taste, are eagerly devoured by swine. The wood is hard, compact and heavy, hut less durable than that of the Common European Oak, particularly when exposed to humidity. The worth of the tree resides in its bark, which begins to be taken off at the age of 25 years. The first growth is of little value ; in ten years it is re- newed ; but the second product, though less cracked than the first, is not thick enough for corks, and is used only by fishermen to buoy up their nets. It is not till the tree is 45 or 50 years old that the bark possesses all the qualities requisite for good corks, and from that period it is collected once in eight or ten years. Its thickness is owing to the extraordinary sw'elling of the cellular tissue. It is better fitted than any other substance for the use to which it is appropriated, as its elasticity exactly adapts it to the neck of the bottle, and its impcnetiable structure refuses exit to the fluid. 1 1 I 32 CORK OAK. July and Antrust til For th t\V( seasons for i:;atberinti^ oppo.sile lonsi;ilU(liii;il incisions are niailc; throiiu;!! the wiiole lon^flh of llie trnnk, and (wo ollicrs, Iransvinst! to the first at tlie oxtreniilics ; tlui hnrk is then (IcIacliL-d hy inscrlinij; a liatclict-handio sliajied like a WL-dirc. Great care must be taken no! to wound the alburnum, as the bark is never renewed npon the injured parts. Alter bein^' sciaped, the liark is heated on its convex side, and laden with stones, to (hitien it and render it easier of transportation. In Catalonia it is cut into pieces and boiled to improve its quality. Its excellence consists in being compact, supple and elastic, and it should be from 15 to 20 lines thick. The cork produced in France may be reckoned at 17,000 or 18,000 quintals, and when the sheets are smooth and even, each quintal allbrds 7,000 or 7,500 corks 18 lines long. The common price is a dollar and seventy cents a thousand, of which fifty cents must be allowed for the expense of making. It is computed that 110 or 115 millions of corks are annually consumed in France. This tree would be an important acquisition to the United States, and would grow wherever the Live Oak subsists. The soil of the pine barrens is in general too meager to sustain its vegetation ; the bed of vegetable mould is in many places too thin, and the sand beneath so homogeneous, that the roots of the Pines, instead of shooting downward, fold themselves back, as if repelled by a solid rock. Both public and private interest requires the inhabitants of the Southern coast, and especially (he neighbouring islands, to rear the Cork Oak about tlieir plantations, and in places that are unfit for (he cultivation of cotton. It should also be introduced in'o West Tennessee, and with the more rea- son as the Vine may be cultivated there wilh success. As the young stocks are injured liy traiisplanlinc;;, they should be per- manently fixed the secoiul or third year. To favour their growth, the earth should be loosed about the roots two or three times a year ; and to render them tall and well shaped, the lower brandies should be cut even with the trunk. Their vegetation is in this manner strengthened and the bark improved ; without further attention they will continue to afford a valuable product during two or three centuries. This tree has great advantages over several others which would likewise flourish in the same parts of the United States, such as the Olive and the White INIulberry. To fit their produce for consumption, particularly that of the IMulberry, requires complicated processes, which can be performed with advantage only in populous countries. Hence the attempts made 70 or 80 years ago in Georgia to introduce the rearing of silk worms proved abortive ; and the old White Mulberry Trees that still remain are monu- ments of that ill-calculated speculation. The bark of the Cork Oak, on the contrary, might be transported to the Northern States, or made into purpose two MiL,Mh of (he 's ; tlie bark 'duje. Great irk is never rk is heated tier it easier to improve incl elastic, or 18,000 [ital aflbrds dollar and ed for the if corks are States, and ne barrens vegelable lOgeneous, hemselves : Southern Oak about of cotton, moi'e rea- 1 be per- owth, the ■ ; and to cut even 1 and the afford a likewise and the arly that ?rformed Tiade 70 ; proved B monu- Oak, on de into //.'/;y.,,/.-,// mow Oak. (Jilt /cii,'- r/u //(>,<• . (L, /'/ I 1 corks upon llie spot by a simpld operation perforiiu'ii by a single person with iniplumonts of which the price docs not exceed two or three dolhus. pLATi: Mir. .? brunch with huvn (aid J) nit i>f titc nulurul nizc. WILLOW OAK. QiiKiicirs puELi.os. Q, foUia !!iicrirl.!(incrof(tth, infrs^rrrhnis, s;Iahrh, npicc sefacrn-ficiDiiiiiafIs, junioriljus cUnlalis lobiili^vc ; aipitln sculellutd ; gUinde subrolund(\,ininiind. \ \V This species, which is rcmarlcable for its fulia2;e, makes its first appear- ance in tlie environs of Philadel[)hia ; but it is more common and of a lar- ger size in Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, wliere the milder tempera- ture of the winter is evidently iavonrable to its growth. It is seen, how- ever, only in the maritime parts of those States, and is a stranger to the inland districts, whore the surface is mountainous and the climate inoie severe. From the analogy of soil and clim-i*(', ii is ]irobahly found in Lower liOuisiana, but I have never observed it beyond the Alleghanies in Kentucky and Tennessee. The Willow Oak commonly grows in cool moist places, and with the Tupelo, the Small IMagnolia, the Red-dowering >biple, the Red 15ay and the Water Oak, it borders the swamps in the low^ ;nrt of the Southern States. In these situations it attains its greatest e.\^)ansion, which is 50 or GO feet in height, and from 20 to 24 inches in diameter. The trunk, even at an advanced age, is covered with a smooth bark, remarkable for the thickness of its cellular tissue. The leaves are 2 or 3 inches long, of a light green, smooth, narrow, entire, and similar to those of the Willow, whence is derived the name of Willow Oak, which is used in every part of North America where the tree is known. Though the Willow Oak, as I have just observed, is almost always seen in moist grounds, by an exception for which it is difllcult to account, it is sometimes found among the Live Oaks, near the sea, in the driest and 5 M I ■ 1 34 F.Ai uj:l oak. most siiiidy soils. At ii distaiu'C it rcspmhies tlic Live Oak in its shape, iiiicl in ils foliiiL,'!', whicli persists diiriii;^ several years; but on a closer t'xaminalion it is easily distinguished by the t'orni of its leaves, which are shorter and nuich narrower, and by the porous texture of ils wood. The fruit of this species is rarely abundant ; the acorns are of a dark brown colour, sniall, round, very billcr, and contained in shallnw cups lightly coated with scales; ko[)t in a cool phice ihcy preserve the facully of i;erniination tor sc\ I'r.d inonlhs. 'J'hc wood is rc'I'lish and coarso-p;raine(l. Tl is tf)o porous to contain ■\vine or spirituous licpior, and its slaves arc classeil with those of Red Oak. The quantity, however, is small, as the tree is so little nuiltiplied, that nloiie it would not supply the eonsuniplion for two ycais. In some of the lower parts of Virf^inia, particularly in the county of V'ork, it is found to possess great strength and tenacity, and to split less easily than the While Oak ; hence, afier being thoroughly seasoned, it is employed for the fellies of wheels. These are the only uses lo which it seems adapted, and for these it is less proper than the Post Oak and While Ash. On several plantations near Augusta in Georgia, the fences are made partly of Willow Oak, which lasts only eiglit or nine years. As fuel, it is sold al the lowest price. PLATE XIV. A branch icith leaves and fruit of the natural size. [See Nuttall's Supplement, Vol. 1, p. 15.] LAUREL OAK. QuERcus IMBRICARIA. Q.folHs subsessUibus, ovali-oblongis, acutis, integcrri- mis, nitidis ; glande subhemisphxricA. East of the Alleghanies this species is rare, and has received no specific name ; west of the mountains, where it is more multiplied and has attracted A I.MIirl ();iL ( hi, I / //. . //// /v y, V II -I, I . • mow from prcsc the n I ( the J exist moiir parts appe place Lath In only Laui hum that imm bear T Itsti its h the folia grce i. is b it, a Frei muc onl} Oak T tion of e li LAUREL OAK. 35 moR' attention, it is called Jack Oak, Black Jack Oak, and sometimes, from the form of its leaves, Laurel Oak. The last denomination I have preserved as the most appropriate, though perhaps it is less common than the first. I observed this tree for the first time in Pennsylvania, near Bedford, on the Juniata, upon the road from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, and it does not exist in the more northern States. I found it abundant only beyond the mountains, and particularly near Washington Court-house, and in some parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. From my father's observations, it appears to be more multiplied in the country of the Illinois than in the places I have just mentioned, and it is called by the French Clterie a lattes, Lath Oak. In the western parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, small lawns, covered only with tall grass, are frequently seen in the forests, around which the Laurel Oak forms entire groves : insulated stocks are also found in cool humid situations. It is probable from its flourishing in open exposures that it is most abundant in the country of the Illinois, which consists of immeasurable savannas stretching in every direction, to which the forests bear no sensible proportion. The Laurel Oak is 40 or 50 feet high, and 12 or 15 inches in diameter. Its trunk, even when old, is clad in a smooth bark, and for three-fourths of its heicht is laden with branches. It has an uncouth form when bared in the winter, but is beautiful in the summer when clad in its thick, tufted foliage. The leaves are long, lanceolate, entire, and of a light, shining green. The wood is hard and heavy, though its pores arc open. As the trunk is branchy and often crooked, it is considered, wherever I have observed it, as fit only for fuel ; but my fiither, who first described it, says that the French of Illinois use it for shingles. Probably in that region it attains much greater dimensions ; but in my opinion the want of beiier species only can account for its use. Its wood is inferior to that of the Willow Oak, which it nearly resembles. This tree has no merit but its singular foliage, and it deserves the atten- tion only of amateurs desirous of adorning their rural retreats with a variety of exotic trees. PLATE XV. ^fj branch with Iccwvs uml fndt of tlir naturul size. '% i } I -"'^i '} UPLAND WILLOW-OAK. Q,UERCVS ciNEREA. Q. folus pctiohttis, lctncroI(ito-ob/()ns;is, acutis, i)ifcp;rn-L mis, sttbliis cinereo-pubescoitibtts ; cupuld sculdlatu; g/unde tiubhcmi- sphiericu. The Upland Willow-Oak is confined to the maritime parts of the South- ern States. It is little multiplied in comparison with many other species, and is dispersed in small groups in the forests of White Pine. It is found also upon the sea-shore, and upon the islands, where it covers tracts of several acres, still more harren than the main. But the stocks which ii^row in these different situations are so dillerent in appearance that they might easily be mistaken for distinct species : in the pine Ixnrcns they are 18 or 20 feet high, and 4 or 5 inches in diameter, with the leaves entire, 2i inches long, and whitish underneath ; on the islands and on the shore of the continent, where the soil is extremely dry, as near Wilmington, N. C, they are only 3 or 4 feet in height, and the leaves are denticulated, arc an inch in length, and persist for two years. I have ascertained that both varieties belong to the same species, by examining the sprouts of the larger stocks in the pine barrens, of which the foliage is perfectly similar to that of the smaller ones on the shore. The Upland Willow-Oak is one of the abject trees that succeed the Pines on lands which have been cleared for cultivation and abandoned on account of their sterility. In these places, as in the pine barrens, it is '20 feet in stature, and its trunk, crooked and covered with a thick bark, begins at a third of this height to divide by numerous ramilications. In the spring- it is distinguished at a distance by the reddish colour of its leaves and male amenls. The acorns, which are contained in shallow cups, are round and blackish, with the base of a bright rose colour when freshly exposed. It is rare to meet with a Iree which yields a quart of fruit. The bark of this species, like that of the ]>lack Oak, allbrds a beaut'ful yellow dye ; but the tree is so small and so little multiplied that it is of no utility in this respect, nor even for fuel. The Quercus nana of Willdenow is certainly the smaller variety of this spec; ■^. PLATE X\T. t^ brunch with leaves and fruit of the nntural fsizc. Fig. 1, .^ leaf of flip smaller varirtj/ of the naltiral sisr. I i)ites;rrn. nubhcmi' the South- r species, 't is found i tracts of iiich £;ro\v hey might are 18 or entire, 2h ! shore of m, N. C, 3(J, arc an that both the hirger lar to that the Pines loiied on 's, it is 20 ■k, begins . In the its leaves cups, are en freshly ruit. beaut' ful it is of no y of this eaf of file I It r J iirJout,- .M I |)l:iml \\il|,m Oak (>fi(/ (■//,■■ forests to consume the dead grass; as this spi.'cii'S belongs to the division whose fructification is biennial, the acorns are destroyed belbre they arrive at maturity. My own observations, and those of ^fessrs. 15osc and Delille, distin- guished botanists who resided several years in the Southern part of the United States, have led me to consider the llunning Oak as a dislinet species, and not as a variety of tiie Willow Oak, as my father has treated it in his i/ioiingrdphi/ of this important genus. It is hardly necessary to remark that from its size it can be interesting only to botanists. PLATE XVIL .2 branch with leaves and f mil of the. natural size. i C -i^ J IIAHTUAM ()\ K. QvERcui iiETERonivt.T.A. (^. foJi'iH loiicci' prl'ioldtts, nriito.faiicroliitit, iiifi c^rif vel inii'qualilcr ihntalin ; glutnle suhf^luhomi, Evr.iiY botanist who has visited cliU'ciL'ni rop;ioiis of the |j;l()h(! imist liavc rcniaikt'd certain species of vc'}^etal)lL's which arc so little nuihiplicil that tliey scorn liiiely at no dislaiit i)eri(id to disappear from the earth. To this chiss I)eloMi,'s the liiiitrani Oal;. Several ICiii;lish and American naturalists who, like my father and mysi'If, have spent years in explorinj^ the I'nited States, and who have ohlitfini^'ly comnumieated to us the result of tlieir ohservatioMs, have, like us, found no traces of this species except a sin;j;le slock in a field helonL^ini,^ .M;. Dartrani, on the banks of the Schuyl- kill, 4 ndles from Philadelphia, 'i'his is a llourishiii!.!; tree, ;}() feel in liei^ht and 8 inches in diameter, and seems formed to attain a much ^'reater develoi)ment. Its leaves are of an elon;j;ated oval form, coarsely and irre- gularly toothed, smooth above, and heiualh of a dark green. The acorns are round, of a middle si; is nrarly Mack, and the cellular tissue of a ilull red. 'J'hc suumiil is spacious even in the midst of tiie ^v()ods. The leaves arc yellowish, and somewhat downy at their unfold- ing in tlie sprin, ill New York, New Jeisey ami PeiiiisyK aiiia. I have move par- ticularly observed it at Fishkill, IvalsUill ami Alhaiiy in Tm'W Voik, near Paramus in \e\v Jersey, and on dial jiart of llie .\lle',;iianies in Pennsyl- vania, wliieli is crossed by the road to 1 iltshui^'. It is never I'ound insu- lated jior minified witli olher shrubs in the Ibiests, Imt always in tracts of several hundred acres, which it covers almost exclusively ; a lew stocks of the Dwarf ('hesnut Oak aie oflen united with it. The ordinary height of the Dear Oak is 3 or 4 fcvt ; but when acei- dcnially insidaled, and nourished by a vein of more fertile soil, it sometimes ei|uals S or 10 I'eet. It usually Ljrows in compact nuisses, which are tia- versed widi ilillieuhy, thouu'h i!0 higher than the waist. As the individuals \viiieli compose them aie of a uniiorm height, they form so even a surface tl th id appe;us to be covered with !j,rass instead of lat at a ilislance iiie grouiic shrubs. The truidc, which is nnmerfuisly ramilied, is covered, lilce the branches, with a polisheil bark. Il has more sirenglh than W(Uild l)e supjiosed i'roni its size, which is rai'ely more than an ineh in di.imeler. The leaves are of a dark green on ihe ujipei siiii'ace, whilish benealh, and regulaily divided into 3 or 5 loiies. 'J'he aeowis aie small, blacki>li, and longitm!iiially marked widi a Irw reddish lines : they are so abundant as sometimes to Oo\-er Ihe bianelies ; the low ly stature of the shrub lenders it easy for bears, (leer and swine to reach them by liiling their heads or lising on their hind feet. The presiMiee of this Oak is cor.sidered as i;n infallildc index of a barren .soil, and il is usually I'ouiid on dry sandy laiiii miiiuled wilh gia\'el. It is loo small to bt> adapu'd to any use ; but near (ioshen, on the road to New York, I o!)served an altcMpI to turn il to advaiitnge, by planting it about the llelds ibr the purpose ol sirenglhening the fences. 'I'hough this exper- iment seemed to have laiird, I believe the I5ear Oak might be usefully adopted in the Northern States for hedges, which might be formed from tlO to 21 inches thick, by sowing the acorns in three paiallel furrows. ^J'hey would be perfected in a short time, would be agreeable to the eye, and probably would be suHlcienl to prevent the passage of horses and cows. Hedges of the Tbiropean thorn would doubtless lio preferable; but they require a good soil and more labour than can at present be allbrded in America: those that I'xist in the neighbourhood of Pliiladelphia are left in a condition which would give a very unfavcnirable opinion of the fanner on whose lands they were seen in the North of France. As the IJear Oak grows on the most sterile soils, and resists the most intense cold and impetuous winds, perhaps 4t might serve to slnd- ler (he inlaiicy of other more valuable trees in such exposures. The want of some such proleclion is the greatest obstacle to the success of 11(1 si ill more so, ] I li;nc iiiovo pur- ill Nrw Voilv, lu'iir lianics In i't'iinsyl- i JK'vcr iomid insii- nlways in tracts of y ; a lew stocks of /* ' ; l)ul when ncci- ■ soil, i( sonu'linics OS, wliicli are lia- As the indiviiluals .-^■o even a sun'iico 111 j^iass iiislcatl of like IJie l)ranchcs, I)c siijiposcd JVoni Tlie leaves are of re;;iil;irly divi.led lul longiludinally as sometimes to i it easy for beais, r rising- on Iheir index of a barren 'illi gravel. It i.s file road to Now planting it about loiiyh this exper- iiglit be nsofully be formed from paiallel furrows, cable to tlie eye, lorses and cows, lable; but they t be allbrded in 'Ipliia are lefl in of the farmer on and resists the t serve to sli(d- vposures. 'I'be the success of It I H.invnsS(,„|, Oak. (Jii.-rr//.^- r,rA\,/,,r/ . i'lr^'U'it'c . /'/.i-:/. iv6r„-/,:;- I LL_i liARRKNS S("UI:H OAK, 43 plaiilntioiis on tlin downs, as I was told near the IIiit!;iio upon the coast of Holland. I'lojiriclois of lai'i^o cstad's, who are addicti'd to the chase, ini^lit find tliis species and the DwailCiicsnul Oak convenient lor copses ; they wouhl ali'ord nouiishment to tin; i^anic dmiiiL,' several months in the year, and would allow the spurtsniun a lair aim at the biids as they rose upon the wing. PLATE XX f. Jl branch ivilh Laves and fruit of the natural size. BARRENS SCRUR OAK. (liCRct's c.\TFsii,ri. Q.fo/iis Itri vhaimi' pdlolalh, Jki^'i fn)(::ifsfal!>^, (fiilis, fmh- palinaln lohalis, loliin inltrilhni suli-fiilralh : cupula iniijuscula ; squauiis tnargiualibus inlro/kxis : glandc hrcil ova/u, ArroRDixG to my own observations, this species is confined to the lower part of tlie Carolinas and Cicor'.ria. I liist saw it a few miles south of Kalei<:;li, N. C, latitude 33^ 40'. Jt grows in soils too meaii^er to sustain any other vcQ;etation, such as the vicinity of Wilmino'ton, N. C, where the ]i;j,ht movable sand is wholly destitute of vegetable mould. It is the only species multiplied in the jjine-barrens, and from this circumstance it seems to have derived its name. In traversing these forests, I nowhere saw the Scrub Oak more uniformly disseminated than between Fayetleville and Wilmington, an interval of GO miles, where it forms nearly one-tenth of the woods: the Pines them- selves, throughout the barrens, are scattered at the distance of ID or 20 feet. The foliage of this tree is open, and its leaves are lar'jc, smooth, thick and coriaceous towards the close of summer, deeply and irregularly laciu- ^ i •11 SPANISH OAK. iiilod, iiiul supported l)y short potioles. Witli tlu; liisl iVost tlit-y cliiiiiifo to a iliill red, ;iiul I,. II llii; t'lisiiinn- iikhiIIi. Tin acnms aic pretty laij;f, dl' a blackish colour, and jjartly coviuttl with a iinc ^j;r('y (hist, which is easily rubbed oir between the linijers: lliey are contained in tliiclc cups swollen toward the edge, and disliiiLfuished I'lom all otiier species, Ijy hav- intf the upper scales bent inward. The oldest tries alone are prodiiclive, and their iiuit never exceeds a lew handsl'ul. In tlie winter it is dillicult to distiniruish tlie Scrub Oak IVoni the IJIaik Jack Oak) whicli it nearly rescnd)les. Jiike that, it is crooked, raiuilied at the lieight of 2 or 3 feet, and covered with a thick, blackish, deeply fur- rowed bark : it is, besides, jierfectly similar in the color, texture and weight of its wood. At Wilmington, tlic Scrub Oak is the best fuel, and is sold separately ; but notwithstanding its abundance in this district it is insullicient for the supply of the iidiabitants : its si/.e alone would exclude it from use in the arts. The general character of tins tree forbids the hopes of advantage that might be conceived from its nourishing upon the most sterile soils. PLATE XXII. Jl biunch tcilh kuvts uiidj'ndl oj the nulurul size. SPANISH OAK. CloERcus FAi.cATA. Q. foIUn long(' pefiolitfis, snhpalmalo-lobalis, sublha cxlinie lomentosis, lob'is fulculis ; cupula cratcrij'orini ; glandc subglobosd, Qucrcus clongalti, Wili.d. This species, like the Black Jack Oak, begins to show itself in New Jersey, near AUentown, about GO miles from Philadelphia. But even at this distance it is smalher than in the immediate vicinity of the city, where it ac(pures its perfect development, and where its leaves exhibit their appropriate form. Further south, it is constantly found among the most I iVosf. they cliiiii. From its waiit of durability the Spanish Oak is less esteemed than the R ! * 46 lUwVCK OAK. AVhite Oak, tlio Post Oak, anrl other s])ocics of anin.al fniclificalinn. It is rarely employed in buiUliiij^, and is used liy \vlieel\vriij,lits only at J5al(iniore, where it is preferred to the While Oak for liie fellies of \in'j,c wheels. The ])riueipal merit of the Spanish Oak, wliirli f:,ives it a superiority over most other species in tlie United Slates, resides in its hark. This is preferred for tanning coarse leatlier, wliich it renders whiter and more supple ; it is conseipienlly sohl at Philadelphia and Wilininglnn a fourth (U'arer than that of the oilier Oaks : the lealhei- is said to ho improved by llic addition of a small ipiantitv of tlu- l)aik of 'he Ilendoek Spruce. Tlic Spanisli Oak is adajited to the climate of the centre of France, if we may judge from its mulliplication in tlie nurseries and in tlie gardens of amateurs. The stocks that have sprung from tlie acorns which I sent home during iny residence in America hear as yet oidy tliree-lobed leaves, but they will become falcated at a maturer age. From the inferiority of its wood, this species would not, in my opinion, deserve a place in our forests, though its bark should prove equal to that of the European Oak. ]3ut in the Southern States, when some species of trees arc to be multiplied in preference to others, the Spanish Oak alone should be spared among the Red Oaks, as, besides its snperloiily in other res))ects, it has the advantage of flourishing on lands of a middling (pialily, such as compose a large part of that section of the United States. PLATi:: XXIII. .^ branch vUh haves and frail of the iialaral n'lzc. BLACK OAK. Qi'ERcrs TiNCTORiA. Q.foliis jimfaiidi' xinu h'i't'i, sahlitu ptilvcrulciitls ; cvpiiIA tarblnald, sijuamohd ; <^ht»dc hnvi ovah'i. Excr.i'T the District of Maine, the northern part of New Hampshire, Vermont and Tennessee, this species is found throughout the United States on both sides of the Alleghanies, and it is everywhere called Black Oak. It is nioie aliuiulant in the Middle Slates, and in the upper part of the Caroliuas and (Jeorgia, than ou the southern coast. I rnirfificfition. It is lis only at ]5aI(iinore, 'f laiLije wlioels. ■ivc.s it fi .supoiiorify in ils l)ar!v. This is 'IS wliitor ami more i-Vilininglon a Iburth I to he improved by mlock S'i)rurc. centre of France, if lid in (lie gardens of ^whicli I sent home e-lobed leaves, but not, in my opinion, ■ove equal to that of ime species of trees 1 Oak alone should y in olhtM- I'cspects, iig quality, such as s. crulciitis ; ciipulA Sew Ham])sliirc, he United States led ]51ack Oak. ilier part of the I II LACK OAK. 47 The Ulack 0;ik llonrislics in n pnoit^r sciil tlirin tlio Wliito Oak. In INIaiylantl and ci-ilain tlisliicls ol' \ ii'jinia wIutc llu.' soil is lean, '^ravlly and iini'von, it is coiL^tanlly nnilcd in tli" loix'sts willi the Scailft, Spanisii anil Post Oaks, ami thr .Mocki'iiiul Hickory, wilh which the Vcliow Pine; is also lVo(|uriitIv iiiin^l('(l. This Oak is on(.' of Ihe lofiicsl trees f)f Xortli Amcriea, hciiiij; 80 or 90 feel ]iiL!;h and 1 or 5 feel in (Uanirtei. 'I'lie leaves are larire, diM-ply \nc'\- iiiated, and divided into fonr nr live lobes : they resenihlo those of the Searlet Oak, hut have less di'ip and oprn sinuses, are less sliininp;, of a duller ^^^''■^J't t.) (u-elvc pads o/' .11 I o.n,...ol,™.,„, „„„„. „,^. „;__;^; ^ '™;";'. VV».er OH., „,,,,,, sm W-ATi: XXIV. ".-.•> fo f/ir Srrtrki 0,if,: SCARLET OAK. ! 1 , t'-" par/s of M-nn "le value of • of Euiopoaii 'f/ ()„k. f siniiaiis, 'mdc brcvi it Is Jess le upper I'1 i 1 t (>ll, ■/■(■//.• ,('t llie Distiiel ol' M.iinc, tin; Slates ot' New Ilampsliiie ntid Vvritioni, nor iic'vonil I lira in (Irnessee. In tlie Noitliein Stales it is enntonnded with llie Idd Oak, and in tliose of tiie Soiitli, with tlu; Spanish Oak. 'I'lie name n|' Scarlet Oak was nivru it iiy my I'aihcr, and, liioiinh not in use hy the inhahitants, it will piohaldy lie adopted, as tin; tree is evidently a distinet specif s. This is a vei^'etahle ol' more llian SO ferl in li('i'.,dil aiu' of ;i or I feet in tliami!tor. 'i'lu: U'aves, which are siipporl( d hy lon'4' |icli(iles, are of a boanlil'ul ^aecn, smooth, shining' on lioiii sides, and lacinialcd in a remark- aide manner, havinif usually ("our deep sinuses very hroad at the lioltom. They hciiin to ehariL^e with the lirst cold, and, after several successive Irosis, tnrn to a hii'^ht led, instead of a dull hue like tlioso of the Red Oak. At this seas(Ui the sinijular colour of the loliai^e forms a slrikaii^ contrast wiih thai of the surroiiiulini' trees, and is al ue a suliiuienl in ! cement to culti- valethe tree for ornament. 'J'lic acorns are lar^e, somewhat elongated, sinnh.ly roundeil at hoth ends, and half covered with scaly cups. As liils iiuit Viiries in si wiih the (piality of the soil, it is dillicull to dis:inu;uish i liom th,' -if the idack Oak; the oidy constant diHereiiee is in the keincl, which i yellowish in the IShick Oak, and white in the Scarlet. The wood of this Oak is reddish and coarse-; Mvd, widi open . ■ es. it is eni'iloved. As it decays nuieh more rapidly than the Wnile -ak, by the builder and wheel-wri'^ht oidy froni n.'Cessiiy r economy. It is poor luel, anil is used principally for slaves : in the Middle States, a la rii-i: part of the lud Oak staves are furnished by this spi cies. The bark, thoui;h very thick and <;enerally employed in tannin;^, is in no respect preferable to that of the Cbay and llei' Oaks. That this tree will llourish in France, is shown hy an example at Ibim- bouillet, where it makes part of a beautiful i)lanlation 45 feet in hei^dil, formed in 178(), of species sent home by my father soon after bis arrival in the United States. It is lo be iey;retted that so lino a tree, which is so well adapted to our soil, should all'ord such indiUcivnt wood that we can- not recommend its infroibiclion inl(' ',,•' 'orests of Europe, nor its preserva- tion in those of the United Slates. PLATE XXV. .-J leaf of the natural alzc. Note. — The. rcoins in this plate belong to the liluck Oak. [ •''>n ] GRAY OAK, CluKRcrs BOREALis. ^^. folUs slmtal'is, ghtbris, sinubus siibacutis ; cupula subsculclhild ; glamlc lurgidc ovald. The Gray Oak appears, by my father's notes, to be found furtlier north (hail any other species in America; in returning from Hudson's ]3ay he saw it on tlio St. Lawrence between Quebec and ]Malal)aie, in latitude 47*^ 50'. Under that paraUel, and near Halifax in Nova Scotia, where I first observed it, it is not more than 40 feet high ; and though the bloom is annual, the winter is so rigorous and long that tlie fruit is said to be matured only once in three or four years. Three degrees further south, in Maine and New Hampshire, and on the fdiores of Lake Champlain in Vermont, it is more mulii|>lied, and is 50 or GO lectin heiglitaud IS inches in diameter. It is called by the inhabitants Cray Oak, but it has been oonfoumled by botanists with the lied Oak, to which it bears a (dose ana- logy in its toliage, as it does to the Scarlet Oak in its fruit : on this resem- blance I have ibundeil the latin specific name ai/ibigua. The leaves arc large, smooth, and deejjly sinuated at right angles to the main rib. The acorns are of the middle size, rounded at the end, and contained in scaly cups. The wood is similar to that of the other species included under the common name of Red Oak. Its coarse and open texture renders it unfit for any use except to contain dry wares; but in districts where Oak wood is rare, recourse is had, for other purposes, to several species of inferior (piality, which are >;till superior to the ISirch, the J3eech, and the Piiu'. Thus the (bay Oak is employed for the knees of vessels and for wheel- wright's work ; it is even preferred to the Red Oak, as being stronger and more durable. This tree is without interest, as the regions in which it grows possess other species in every respect more valuable, such as the White Oak, the Swam}) While Oak, and the Rock Chesnut Oak. PLATE XXVI. vl brunch ivilh leaves and fruit of the natural size. i ■I subacutis ; cupula utul furtlicr north [ludsoii's Bay he abaie, in hatitude 1 Scotia, wlierc I lliough tlic bloom uit is said to be cs fuitlier soiitli, kc C'hamj)lain in gilt and IS inches but it Las been jcais a close ana- t : on this rcsem- iglit angles to the at the end, and luded under the re renders it unfit wlicre Oak wood [lecies of inferior h, and tlie Pine, i and for wliccl- eing stronger and it grows possess J White Oak, the I \ze. if' i /'/ ui. (ii;i\ Oak. ( h/i 1 1 1/. ' (I in /'i/////, I // /, ( • . Il 'M / I llcil ();.k. (Ji/i/t//,i /ti/>nr l';rX-(rtA. \ /*■• ;; 1 i o',rX-ir ',!',•. \ ADDITION TO IlIK ( > A K S. enough for the pnssa£;o of a hai; 's strnii'j; l)ut not duiahli', and is llie last, anioni!; Ilic Oaks to ho I'lh hiiililiiiL!;- lis luinciiial iisr is for staves, whicli, at home, are use* atain salted piuvisinns, llour and such dry wares as arc exported .• the islands, and in the c()h)nius, to receive nndasses and su-^ar. The hark consists of a very thin epidermis and a very thick cellidar tissue. It is extensively used in taniiiii!^, hut is less esteemed than that of the Spanish, Black and Rock Chesnut Oaks. The Red Oak was one of the earliest .American trees introduced into Europe. Large stocks are found on the estate of Duhamel, which yield seed ahundantly, and even multiply naturally ; hut the (piality of its wood is so inferior, that I cannot recommend its propagation in our forests. PLATE XXMII. .i? brunch ivi//i huvn and J'ritil of llir iiuturn/ size. I ADDITIONS TO Til K O.VK?!. I.v the F/f)ra .7/arr/c.-^ S''fitcvtrir)iri(ilis, of Tursli, puhlishrd in England in 1S14, the foltowing species of Oak aie added to those which 1 have dascrihed : Qi'RRfiH MARtriMA. Q.Joliis pi rtiiinnililjii^. rnriii'-rix, inlru^rrrimin, i;!rmis, i^liibvis, iipiir Iriliiliis, basi subsinuatis, lobir, flivariculia, inttcniiKitis, inlirmvdio majurv ; cdpuhinnUelluta. According to Mr. Pursh, tins species is a low-growing shrub, distinct from the Water (hdc, Qhc/cv/.s- «7'(«//(«. QUERCIS DISfdI.oR. :lillltlllis, SIlhtKS Jllt/jcsrCHliljIlS, Inlis nlil(>ii^is,iUiit!iirhiiiiilis. M'his tree is about -'0 feethii;h ; il is Iband on tlie h)W nicunlains of New Si)ain, near Santa Rosa, and fruciilles in SeptL'u.!)er and October. 'Qi'iatcis Mi:xnAN\. Q. rinniilis fi.liisqiir, snhliis sldJuInn piihrsi-mliljiis, supra uitiilis linniri-oliliin'ris, urn I is, sii/)iiiiirr(»i(ilis, siilmirilnlis, iiiiiliiliitd-sii/isiiiunlis, stibrarinrds : f'nirlilids sulildriis, linviUr pi tlinicdldlis; rupniis njnlliifitniiibus. 'J'bis si)ecies rises fioin If) lo 'iO feel : it is very abundant liclween Ara- p\dco and the city ol' -M xi'^o, mar Mnjoni la, (iiiajiniquilapa and Chilpal- riiiiro aiul is also found ne.u- Moian, Uigla, Ouanajuato and Santa Rosa : it fructifies in September. (). rii'iiulis hilii'miJiiiis ; fuliis n'lItDiiio-lnnrriiltilis, titriiuiun QiEurvs I,^^( F.oi.vrv. aculis, tiiuliildlo-rrpdiiiUs, run tilids siihhriiis, hrcnssinii / ■ill. :, Sdj. ihili liJi ini iiiliihs, sn (lilds sti lldliiii pdljrscciilibiis ; ft cujiiilis ri/. I til 1 1 iirnultiis. This tree eipials a in the temperate re nd sonii'times excei' ds, -ZO feet in iici Jif ; it aboinid.- '•■KHIS o f Mexico, between M oran aiita Jvosa ; where it forms unmense forests: il fiuclihes in Sej)tfiuber. CiiKRciN TRnii:N'<. (l- rdvii s laiibim ;f , sujira piibrsrintibds, siibliis tciiliiti r rincrro-lonuntitsis ; J'l-urlih.i:' lirnis aitl iri)if/iic iits ; J'ruc- aliomuls la ivosa : •)irr riisjn- iiiuilDsiii ; ir ^loraix liriilmidn- s nut Ur- Tliis is a'larf:;c tree, wliich rcseniljlcs the Laurel, and attains the lioiji;ht (if 10 iVet : it is loiind in the trmpcratc parts of \c\v Spain, in the environs ol" Pachuca, Totoniico and Clrande : it lloweis in .May. Qi'i;r( L's Ki:i'.VM)\. Q. frurlirosd, prncuinlit un ; riitnulis J'iiliisqn< Kutilus . riiiiiiilis stilciilis, piibrxrt nlihus ; fuliis ohlow^if!, biisi rofiiiiddtis, apiii III vi rnusriisjiiihilo-di iitatis, ii!(/iihriniiH( is, siijira nitidis, siibliis ttna- issiiiic uiin ii-tdihi niDsis ; fr:iiii!/iis li mis mil i/iiinis, pi diiiiriilniis. This tree, whicli has a thin foliage, ris.s lo lln' hci^'lii ; :' V) or -10 feet, and is from 18 to 21 inches in diameter: il i^iows in the lemperate and stony pails of New Spain between Moran, Paehuea and licgla, and (lowers in May. (iiriKi's jM.\ri;.NSis. <^. rinnis tidn rcidntis ; foliis /()n:;r jullolniis, onitn-iddonnis, nruiiiiiiiilis, rciiiitir cnsjiiddlu-di uliilis, subciiiiiiri is, i;tiii/ris ; JriK Idnis siilinictiliilis ; fiijiiilis sii/ixjilitiriris, Tiiis tree is i'loni 30 to tO feet high, and has a very tliick foliage ; it Is found in the stony and mountainous regions of New .Spain near Chilpan- cingo, ami fiuctilies in Apiil. QilMKls ^I'lCATA (j. niniiili.s lomrnlosis- ;fiiiiis illijilicis, xiniiiilti-ilt iildlis, rnriariis, siijini iiiliilis, siihliis Iciiiiinsiiiic Cdui sfiiili-ldiiiciilosis ; Jriiclihii.s sii/jgt minis, bn li.ssiinu j)riliniriiliilis : riipiilis ci/iillii/'iinnilii's. This species is from :'>() to 10 feet in height, ami is found in shady situa- tions near el Oyainel, el .I;iciil, ami Ceiro di; his Naliajas ; it fructifies in May. Qei:K< IS I'ANDiu A TA. Q. rniiinlis hrvi'niK, liirlis,fiiliis i)liiniito-i)/)lniii;is, siihpaiuliirii- lis, sii//c(iriliilis, siitimto-ib nlii/is, cnrinci is, siililits piiljcsccnlil/i's ; fniclibiis siiljiininis, jiciluni'liliilis ; atjnilis ci/iil'iijnrinifiifs. This species is about 15 feet high: it is found on the sides of the moun- tains in the kiii'j;doin of Mechoacan, between Ario ami Palzcuaro: it fruc- tifies in September. (llKHCls AMitlclA. Q. riiiiiiiUs r:!/if,r:s,(il)nrriln-(ilil(i)is is, iililiisis, Itnsi rolinidalis, siih- rrjianilis, mrmhfdnarris, sn/iliis (cuiiis.siiiii' /iiili( sci:iililtiis ; J'rdcliltiis (jiiinis dul srjitc- nis jHildJiciilalis , peilniirn/is ui minis, iloimdiis, 'I'liis tree is about -20 feet high, and is I'ound in the temperate regions of Mexico near Moran, C'erro \'eiitoso ami Omillon : it lloweis in I^Iay. QuEIWl'S (II, viiii'»""« sliady situa- fiLsin May. nhpimiltira- HIS xubqiiinis, the inouu- 10 : it tVuc- liiniJdt"', •"<•"''- ro^ions of May. litis, oliovdlo- iiciscenUbiix ; between la olii? ohlnn/fi', ^nlibiis ; frnc- it is found llowcrs in ' W A I. N u r s. Of the various (roes wliirli coinpnso the vast forests of Xortli Anierica cast of the .Mississippi, tlie Walnut laiilvs alter tlie Oak, amont; the genera, tlie species of wliieh are most nuiltij)lie(l. In lliis j)artieiilar, the snil'of the United States is more favoured than that of Ivirope, in no jjart of wliieh is any si)eeies of this tre<' indifj;eiious. I have disliii^uislied in tlie I'liitcd States ten s])ecies of Walnut, and others will prol)ahly ])e discovered in I^((uisiana : travellers who visit tliese rei^ions to exjjlnre their natural his- tory, sliould dire('t their aitention to this ehiss of vegetables, so interesting from the useful applications of their wood in the arts. There, is room to hope, also, that species may l)e discovered, susccptiijie, like the Pecannut llicliory, of rapid imiirovenuMit hy the aid of grafting and attentive culli- A'ation. Some weight is given this consideration, iiv an observation whi(di I have often heard repeated l)y my father, that the fruit of the Common European Walnut, in its natural slate, is harder than tliat of the American species just mentioned, and inferior to it in size and (pudity. 'I'o tin; memliers of agricidtural societies in the I'nitcd States it ixdongs, to extend their oliservalicuis ami experinu nlsoii this subpcl, afier the example ol'our ancestcu'S, to whom we are imiehted lor a rich ^ ariety of fruits, e(piidly salutary and heautitul. The Walnuts of North America appear to i)resent charantors so distinct as to recpiire their division into two sections. These characters consist jnincipally in the form of the harren aments or catkins, and in the greater or less rapidity of vegetation in the trees. The fust section is composed of Walnuts with single ainenls, (IM. 2!) and ."?*),) and includes two species : the Black Walnut and the ibitlernut ; to which is added the European Walnut. The second section consists of such as have compound ameuts, (IM. 3(),) and C()m[)rises eii;ht species: the Pecannut Hickory, Hitternut Hickory, Water llitti'rmil Hickory, Mockernut Hickory, Shellhark Hickory, 'I'liick Shel'liark Hicktuy, Pignut Hickoiy, and Nutmeg Hickorv. The three first species ul' tin.' second srction hear some ri'lalion to those of the first, in t!;i'ii buds which aic not co\ered \yiih scales, ['"or this reason, 1 iiave placed diem immediately ne\t, beginning widi tiie Pecannut Hick- •if i: 5 ' 6S W ALN ITS. ory wliicli, by its niiinoroiis. leaflets, most nearly reseiiil)les the Jilack Wal- nut anil tin; Diitlcmtit, wlinse IjucIs are also iiiicovereil. 'Jliroii^lioiil the I'liiled Slates, the eoininoii name of Ifickory is f^iven to the s|)eeics ol' the seconil section. )f tl Tlii s universal appellation is due to certain properties of tlieir wood, which, howi.'ver tnodilied, are possessed hv II H'Mi al in a greater 'I'oiee tlian liv anv o'lier tree o )'h .f ]• iirope or orni, anc America. 'J'hese species e\liil)it also a strikin;^ iui;doQ;y in their 1 in their leaves, though they dill'er in the numher and size of their leallels. To these sources of confusion, must be adiled another in the fruit, which is often so various in its appearance, that it is easy to mistake the si)ecies to which it belontj;s. It is not then, on the most remarkable dillerenccs alone, that our distinctions must be founded ; recourse must also be had to m examination of the shoots of the preceding year, of the buds and of tl It ily 1) th ^f th onstant observation country, pursued througn tlic course of a summer, tliat 1 hecaine alile iciidily to distinguish between mere varieties and species. M. Delille of the institute of Egypt, who was at that time in the United States, took an active part in my researches, and resorted with mc daily to the woods. Our investigations, I flatter myself, have had the result, which may always be hoped for, from unwearied perseverance. From the considerations alleged, and i)rincipnlly from the striking resem- blance of their wood, I have thought proper, in describing the species of Hickory, to speak but summarily of their respective properties and to treat of this part of the subject collectively and comparatively, more at large, in a separate article which will complete their history. [For additional information on the Walnuts, see Nultall's Supplement, vol. I. p. 39. The genus Ci'irya, has been separated from Jiiglans by Nutlali, chiefly on account of a technical distinction in the fruit. Piopa^ration, &.c. The species is propagated by the nut ; which when the tree is to be grown chiclly for its timber, is best sown where it is finally to remain, on account of the taproot, which will thus have its full influence on the vigour and prosperity of the tree. In soils, on moist, or otherwise unfavourable subsoils, if sown where it is not finally to remain, a tile, slate, or flat stone should be placed under the nut at the depth of three or four inches, to give tlie taproot a horizontal direction ; or if this precaution is neglected, the tajiroot may be cut through with a spade six or eight inches below the nut. In a dry or rocky subsoil, or among rocks, no precaution ot" this kind is necessary. The varieties may l)e propagated by budding, giafliiig, in,i . 'ling, '^ layering, and, possii)ly, by cuttings of the root. The nuts .nay be sown as soon as gathered, if there is no danger nom veiiiiin ; but il there i:>, defer sowing till February. The most convenient I the Jilack VVal- i('K-ory is f^ivcn II;\tioii is due to I, art' jiosst'ssiil ol' Kiiiope or tlit'ii' Ibnii, and )(■ tlii'ir loallets. the IViiit, whicli take the si)eciu.s ahle diU'erenccs t also be liad to le buds and of e forests of the I In'canie alilo . M. Dclille of Slates, took an he woods. Our may always be strikiiif^j rcscm- ; the species of ;lies and to treat lore at hirgc, in 's Suiiplement, illall, chiefly on which when lere it is finally full influence t, or otherwise n, a tile, slate, three or four piecaution is eight inches no precaution by budding, the root. danger from st convenient \VALN[ TS. nil mode is to deposit the seed in drills, two feet apart from each other, plac- ing the seeds at from three to six inciies apnrt in the drills. If germinated in a ht a|) ijelore sowing, the points ol llir l,ipnHit nia\ br pinrheil oil" bif ue l)lanting. Whether sown in drills or broud cast, almost the only attention rt^pdred in their culture while in the nursery is, to shorten once a year, the lap, or main root, in order to induce them to throw out fibres, for the purpose of facililaling their transplantation, which if performed in the autumn, should be followed in ttie spring bt lore the sap begins to rise, by culling the head of the tree entirely oil', leaving only a main stem, termina- ting in the slumps of the principal branches. The wounds of these stumps are earelully covered with plaster composed of loam and cowdung, or graft- ing clay, secured from the weather by straw and cords. Trees thus treated, j)usli out shoots of great vigour the first year, and these being thinned out or rublied oil', the remainder soon form a head. Stiihinil silitiition. The Walnuts attain the largest size in a deep loamy soil, dry rather than moist ; but the fruit has the best llavour, and ju'oduces n)ost oil, when the tree is grown in calcareous soils, or among calcareous rocks; in a wct-bollomed soil, it will not thrive. The Walnut is not a social tree, and neither produces good timber nor tVuit when j)lanted in masses. The Walnut is generally considered injurious, by its shade, both to man and plants. Hickories planted in masses should be thinned when the plants have attained the height of liom five to eight feet, the larger trees l)eini: h'fl for limber, for ornanieni, or for fruil. Managed in this way, and gradually exposed to the action of the sivi and air, they will have their peculiar beauties developed in the fullest manner. 'I'lie wood which has grown most rapidly is the most valuable, having least of the heart wood. The ashes (if ilic Iliekories abound in alkali, and are consideii-d beller for the jinrpose of making soap, than any other of the native woods, being next to those of the Ap|)le tree. The shellbark grows best on the border of culti- vated land, or on the edge of a forest. Some of our gardeners have paid attention to procuring the best nuts for cultivation, and the " true thin- shelled" may now be purchased from the nurseries ; the nuts, however, •will differ in different soils and situations, and even on individual trees growing in innnediale proximity.] 11 f (50 J METHODICAL DlSl'OSITION OF TIIK WALNUTS OF NORTH AMERICA. Momccla Pohjanilria, Linn. Tcrebinlhacc.r, Juaa. FIRST SECTION. Simple amenta. [PI. 29 nnd aO.) VEGETATION RAPID. 1. Common Europonn Walnut, . 2. IJlaclc Walnut, 3. Butternut. , Jiiu^lans rcii'ia. Jua^/ans nip'd. Juqluns calhatlica. SECOND SECTION. HICKORIES. Compound amcnts, each peduncle bearing three. {PI. Ii6,/ig. 3.) VEGETATION SLOW. 4. Pecannut Hickory, 5. Bitternut Hickory, 6. Water Bitternut Hickory, 7. Mockornut Mickory, 8. Slielibark Hickory, 9. 'riiick Shelli.ark Hickory, 10. Pignut Hickory, 11. Nutmeg Hickory, Juglans [Cdrya) oHi\rform{s. Jiiglans {Cdrjja) nmnra. Juglanx [Cdrjia') nqiia/ica. Jiighnin [Ciirij(i) tomrtilosii. Jiiglans (Cdriju) sijuaniosa. JiigltDis [('iirij(i) laciniosit. Juglujis (Cdriju) porcina. Jiigluns [Curya) myrinticifformis. iiSS. Xfig. 3.) ^livirformis. iinnra. 'fjit(i/ica. ')mnifustt. '/mimosa , 'ciiiiosa. orcina. yristicaformis. " 1 1 Hi fl i? i A .., CoiiuMoii K uropraii \\ aliiul /y. .<, ^ f ! IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) h 1.0 I.I 2.2 1.8 IL25 1 1.4 m — 6" 9. Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 qv '^ \ ;\ K - U ^ ■<^" J ^ [ «!1 J .. COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. JuoLANs REoiA. J. follolis subsrptenls, ovalilnis, :;hibris, sitbscrralls, subxqiud- iOun : fntclibtis subovulibus. The Walnut which for several centuries has been cultivated in Europe is a native of Asia. According to an ancient but uncertain tradition, its fruit was brought from Persia with the Peach and the Apricot. My father, who, in the years 1782, 'S3, and '84, visited that part of the East to examine its natural productions, first ascertained with exactness, the origin of this tree : he found it in the natural state, in the province of Gliilan, which lies on the Caspian Sea, between the 35th and 40th degrees of latitude. The period of its introduction into Europe, a point on which ancient authors leave us in oI)scurity, is proved to be remote, by several rites in use among the Romans: such, for instance, as the distribution of nuts in the Ccrcalia. In the village festival of the fiosicre, instituted by St. iNIedard, at Salency, Department of the Oise, 1200 years ago, it is directed, that an offering composed of nuts and other fruits of the country, shall be presented to the young maid who is crowned : which proves the tree to have been already naturalized in that part of France. The Walnut is common throughout the centre of Europe, but it flourishes most in the western and southern Departments of Franct , in Spain and in Italy, which approach nearest to the latitude in which it grows natu- rally. In France, it is only in the west and south, where the vegetation of the Walnut is perfectly secure from frost, that its wood is of a superior quality, and that its fruit is regularly yielded in sufficient abundance to be- come an article of commerce. The European Walnut is one of the tallest and most beautiful among fruit trees, and one of the most remarkable for the amplitude of its summit, and the thickness of its shade. On the trunk of old trees, which frequently are several feet in diameter, the bark is thick and deeply furrowed ; on the upper branches it is gray and smooth, a good deal resembling that of the Butternut. The leaves are borne by long petioles, and are composed of 2, 3, and sometimes 4 pair of leaflets, surmounted by an odd one. The leaflets are oval and smooth ; when bruised, they exhale a strong aromatic odor. In the extreme heat of summer, the emanations from the Walnut are so powerful as to produce unpleasant elTects upon some perscns, if they slum- ber in its shade. The flowers of the Common European Walnut, like those of the Black Walnut and Butternut, appear before the unfolding of the leaves ; the bar- f;2 C ( ) M M C) N !•: I. ]{ () P I : A N W A I. N I T. ren ones in s'lDiflo, ])(Mi(liilnus, iinhricalcd iiiticiils; (ho I'orlile ones on separate branches, at the end ol' the young shoots, and commonly in pairs. The fruit is green and C)val, and in the natural slali; contains a small hartl nut. In the most esteemed cnllivated spet'ies, the Iruit is oval and strongly odorilerous, about an inch and two tldrds long, and from an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half in diameter. Tlie nut occupies two thirds of its volume. Towards autumn, the husk softens, and decaying from about the nut, allows it to fall. Tlie shell is slightly channeled, and so thin as to be easily crushed by the fingers. The kernel is of a very agreeable taste : it is large, covered with a fine pellicle, and separated by a thin partition, which may readily be detached both from the shell and from the kernel. The nuts are better tasted and easier of digestion, soon after their matu- rity, than later in the season, when the oily priiicij)le becomes perfectly formed; they are then oppressive if immoderately eaten. A dessert of an excellent relish is made by extracting the kernels a fort- night before they are ripe, and seasoning them with the juice of green grapes and salt. They should be thrown into water as soon as they are taken from the shell, and allowed to remain till the moment when they are seasoned to be set upon the table. They are sold in Paris by the name of Cerneuux, and a greater (piantity of walnuts is consumed in this way by people in easy circumstances, than after they are perfectly ripe : the use of them is then almost exclusively confined to the lower classes. 'J"he Common Walnut is more multiplied in the Departments of France which lie between the 45th and the 48th degrees of latitude, than in any other part of Europe. In these Uepartmcnts, it is planted in the midst of cultivated fields, like the apple tree for cider, in those of the north and the centre: the fruit, the oil, and the wood, may be considered as forming one of their principal blanches of commerce. In extracting the oil of Walnuts, certain delicate attentions are necessary to insure its fineness. When the iruit is gathered, and the nuts are separ- ated from the husks, they should be kept dry, and occasionally moved till they are used. The proper time for the operation is at the close of win- ter, as in this interval, the change by which the mucilage of the fruit is converted into oil has become completely effected, and by longer delay the kernel grows rancid, and the oil is of a vitiated quality. The nut is crack- ed by striking it on the end with a small mallet, and pains are taken not to bruise the k(!rnel. The slight ligneous jjartilion is detached, and such kernels as are partially spoiled are selected and thrown aside. The sound kernels, thus cleared from every particle ol Uie shell, should be sent immediately to the mill, as they soon become rancid by exposure to the air. They are crushed by a vertical stone which turns in a circular trough, and is moved by a horse or by a current of water. The paste is next enclosed le ones on ily in pairs, I snuiU hard iiid strongly incli and a ;o thirds of Hit the nut, in as to be jlo taste : it n partition, lie kernel, their niatu- es pert'ectly rnels a fort- ee of green as they are hen they are the name of this way by : the use of ts of France than in any the midst of rtli and the loimiiig one re necessary are separ- moved till Dse of win- Ihe fruit is er delay the ut is crack- iken not to , and such The sound I be sent sure to the ular trough, xt enclosed C M IM N E (J IK) P i: AN W A L N 1 1 T. in bags of strong linen and submitted to the press. Tlic oil which Hows under this first pressure witliout the ap[)licalicui of heat, is of the best qua- lity. It is very clear, and is proper for food ; but it scnsilily retains the taste of the nut, which in general is not agreeable to persons unaccustomed to it, so that the consumption is limited 1o the Departments where it is made. To be kept sweet for the table, it should be drawn oH" several times during the first innnlhs, carefully corked, and stored in the cellar, as it is more easily affected than any other oil by the action of air and heat. After the first expression, the paste is emptied from the sacks, moistened with warm water, and moderately heated in coppers. It is then replaced in the sacks and returned to the press. The oil of the second discharge is highly colored, and very speedily becomes rancid ; it is therefore em- jdoyed only in the preparation of colors. The cakes which remain after the expression is finished, arc used for fattening fowls. Although nut oil, as an article of diet, is in general usb in the Depart- ments where the tree abounds, it serves a slill more important purpose in the preparation of fine colors. It is preferred on account of the complete and rapid manner in which it dries, and of the facility of obtaining it per- fectly limpid ; which is done by dilfusing it upon water in large shallow vases. In copper-plate printing, walnut oil is considered, in Paris, indispensably necessary for a fine impression, in black or in colors. But there are peculiar modes of preparing it for the several colors with which it is to be mixed. Thus for white, blue, light green, and the intermediate shades, it is reduced by boiling to two thirds of its bulk; but for dark green and black, to one fifth, which leaves it a thick, seinilluid substance. To facilitate the process, one tenth part of linseed oil is added to it ; it is then placed in an iron or copper vessel, over an active, clear fire. When it begins to boil rapidly, ti e vessel is uncovered, and the oil takes fire by contact with the flame, and burns till it is reduced to the proper consistency : sometimes it is not allowed to kindle, but when the ebullition commences, crusts of bread are thrown into it, wdiieh remain till the necessary evaporation is effected, and are then taken out, charged with mucilaginous particles. The principal advantage of this oil, in the preparation of white lead for painting the interior of houses, as well as of the colors employed in copper-plate printing, is the longer and more perfect preservation of the tints. The back of prints done with it do not turn yellow like others. A fine stomachic liquor is made with the fruit of the Walnut, gathered a month before its maturity. Twelve green nuts in the husk are bruised and thrown into a pint of good brandy ; after they have steeped three weeks, the brandy is filtered through brown paper, and a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar is added. This cordial improves by age. Dyers obtain, by boiling the husks when they begin to dscay, and the ,! t ii ii 1 i ■ ( ! 64 COMMON EUROPEAN WALNUT. bark of the roots, a substantial dark brown, with which they tlye woolens. Cabinet-makers also make use of it, in staining other pieces of wood in imitation of Walnut. Among the American Walnuts which are found cast of the Mississippi, the Black Walnut bears the greatest resemblance to the European Walnut, in its general appearance, in its (lowers and fruit, and in the qualities of its wood : in foliage they are strikingly difl'erent. The wood of the European Walnut is inferior in strength and weight, and, I believe, far more liable to injury from worms. Twenty or thirty years ago, before Mahogany was imported in such abundance into Europe, Walnut wood was employed almost exclusively, in cabinet-making. In the country, it is still in general use, and the furni- ture made of it is far from being inelegant, especially pieces obtained from such old trees as bear small and thick shelled nuts. It is preferred for the stocks of muskets ; and in Paris and lirussels, no other wood is used for the pannels of carriages. The old trees furnish excellent screws for large presses. Great (piantities of wooden shoes are manufactured of Walnut, which are more highly esteemed than others. The wood of the European Walnut is largely exported from the south of France to the North, and to Holland and (Jcrniany : formerly, it was carried to England. Like other fruit trees, whoso peifection is among the " noblest conquests of industrious man," the Walnut has been greatly improved, by long and careful cultivation. There are seven or eight cultivaled varieties, whose superiority is jjrincipally apparent in the augmented size of the fruit, and in the diminished thickness of the shell. Of these the most esteemed, after that wliich I have described, are the St. Jean and the J««/^'-e Walnuts. The St. John Walnut, is a variety obtained wilhin a few years. It yields fruit as large and as abundant as the common Walnut, and fur that part of Europe which lies beyond the 4ulh degree of latitude, it possesses an advantage, in opening its vegetation three weeks later, and in being thus secure liom the injuries of frost. The Jcivge Walnut is chiefly remarkable for the size of its fruit, which is twice as laige as the variety represented in the plate. It is unproductive, and the kernel does not fill the shell. The Jauge nut is made into cases by jewellers, and furnished with trinkets for the amusement of children. The wood of the Black Walnut is already superior to that of the European Walimt, and it will acquire a still finer grain, when it is raised on lands that have been long under cultivation. It is solely for the excellency of its fruit, and the decided supeiiority of its oil in the preparation of colors, that the European Walnut should be warmly recommended to the attention of Americans. It would thrive better than elsewhere in places where the Black Walnut naturally abounds. COMMON E U U O P K A N W A T . \ U T, f)5 ye woolens. 1 of wood in Mississippi, enn Walnut, lalilics of its lie European [• more liable rted in such exclusively, md the furni- htained from erred for the d is used for jws for large [ of Walnut, im llic south nierly, it was nst conquests by long and ieties, whose the fruit, and )st esteemed, uiTR Walnuts. s. It yields r that part of possesses an n being thus y remarkable ■ represented "ill the shell. with trinkets [he European led on lauds }llency of its If colors, that attention of Is where the III some parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland, the J3lack Walnuts have been preserved in clearing the lands: grcal advantage would be found in grafting (liem witii the Europiaii Walmit. The liml)s should be eut Ifj inehcs from the trunk, and from the slumps will spring vigorous shoots, which the second year may be grafted i)y inoculation. Fifty or sixty buds should be set upon each tree, as is practised near Lyons ; where h is found, that by inserting the Walnut of St. John on the common Walnut, the fruit is rendered finer, and the crop more certain. Ulack Walnuts thus grafted begin to bear the fifth year. On estates where nolJIaek Walnuts exist, the defieiency may be su])plied by planting the nuts, and grafting the young stocks when they come to the height of 8 or 10 feet. It should be observed, that in the Walnut, more than any other tree, it is necessary on account of the loose texture of the wood and the large volume of the pith, to protect the amputated limbs from the weather. A covering of clay should be so nicely adapted to the exposed surface, as entirely to exclude the rain, otherwise decay will commence, and spread itself into the body of the tree. In those parts of France, Belgium and Germany, where the Walnut is not cultivated for commerce, the trees have generally sprung from the seed, which is the cause of the inferiority of their fruit. For it is observed that, with a few accidental exceptions, the finest fruits and flowers degen- erate in reproduction. This inconvenience would be experienced in the United States, and as there do not perhaps exist in that country, south of the Hudson river, ten European Walnut trees,* I should recommend the importation from Bordeaux of young grafted trees, which will soon furnish the means to such proprietors as wish to enrich their estates with this useful and magnificent tree. PLA TE XXIX. Fi^. 1. Jl leaf of half the nntural size, Fla;, 2. Parrvn Ffnivcrs. Fig. 3, Fertile flowers. Fig. 4. Jl nut in its husk of the natural size. Fig. 5, »'2 nut without its husk. Fig. 0. d nut drprivcd of half the shell to show the kernel. * [Since tills was written, flic European Walnut lias Iiccn extcn-iivcly inlroduccd in America, l)ut as far iiorlii as Pliilaclclpliia it docs not |)roduco fruit abundantly, except in sheltered situa- tions, or when surrounded by hard surface ground.] I| 9 r r,'^' ] BLACK WALNUT. JiioLANs MORA. J.foHoHs quindmiH, stihcnrddtis, superue angrislalis, serralis ; fntdu glohoso,jmnctato, scahriusculo ; nucicorriignla. Tins Irce is known in all parts of the United States where it grows, and to tlie French of Upper and Lower Louisiana, hy no other name than Black Walnut. East of the Alleghany mountains, the most northern point at which it appears, is about Goshen in the State of New Jersey, in the latitude of 40° 50'*. West of the Mountains, it exists abundantly two degrees further north, in that portion of Gencssee which is comprised between the 77th and 79th degrees of longitude. This observation, as I shall have occasion to remark, is applicable to several other vegetables the northern limit of whose appearance varies with the climate, and this becomes milder in advancino; towards the west. The Black Walnut is mulliplicd in the forests about Philadelphia, and with the exception of the lower parts of the Southern Slates, where the soil is too sandy, or too wet as in the Swamps, it is met with to the banks of the Mississippi, through- out an extent of 2000 miles. East of the Alleghany mountains in Virginia, and in the upper part of the Carolinas and of Georgia, it is chiefly confined to the valleys where the soil is deep and fertile, and which are watered by creeks and rivers : in the western country, in Gencssee, and in the States of Ohio and Kentucky, where the soil in general is very rich, it grows in the forests, with the Coflee-tree, Honey Locust, Red Mulberry, Locust Shellbark Hickory, Black Sugar Maple, Hack Berry, and Red Elm ; all which trees prove the goodness of the soil in which they are found. It is in these countries that the Black Walnut displays its full proportions. On the banks of the Ohio, and on the islands of thatbeautiful river, I have often seen trees of 3 or 4 feet in diameter and 60 or 70 feet in height. It is not rare to find them of the thickness of 6 or 7 feet. Its powerful vegeta- tion clearly points out this, as one of the largest trees of America. When it stands insulated, its branches, extending themselves horizontally to a great distance, spread into a spacious head, which gives it a very majestic appearance. The leaves of the Black Walnut when bruised emit a strong aromatic odor. They are about 18 inches in length, pinnate, and composed in gen- eral of 6, 7 or 8 pair of leaflets surmounted by an odd one. The leaflets are opposite and fixed on short petioles ; they are acuminate, serrate, and somewhat downy. The barren flowers are disposed in pendulous and • [It is found in Massaclinsctts. Emkuson.J slalin, serralis ; nld. Iicre it grows, lier name than most northern few Jersey, in bundantly two is comprised ervation, as I er vegetables latc, and this cii Walnut is ;eption of the Jy, or too wet ippi, through- is in Virginia, liefly confined are watered e, and in the 3 very rich, it ed Mulberry, nd Red Elm ; are found. 11 proportions. river, I have in height. It verful vegeta- srica. When izontally to a very majestic ong iiromatic posed in gen- The leaflets serrate, and :ndulous and i V /■,,,. .'w,^. ■ l')l;uk Walnut r Walnut wnod in llie Atlantic cilics, and tlin want of attention to its culti- vation, have since made it nccossnry (iir the cahinct makers, &c., to import from the west llie greater portion of tlieir supplies. 'I'liis resource must fail in time, and the v/ood may not impro- bably become nearly as costly as Mahogany, which it rcscmblca in many of its properties.] ild Cliciry wood is also eii) ployed flowering Maple, sen for fowling iick Walnut, and rity-five years, it ed that it makes hand durability. certain uses in s perfectly seas- ;^h more brittle, Carolina, aflirms Yoi'ms in warm t, and deserves umber yards of timber ; but in Ohio, it const i- anoes are made ility. Some of m 40 feet loiii^^ ^land in planks at four cents a ch is obtained dying woolen d France, into s perfectly and the European mierican Wal- the arts and in t is more com- a finer polish, las been seen, for the larorer 'ince that it is ' proprietors in tention to its culti- from the west the 3(1 may not impro- 3 properties.] l;i '/ I I'JIM.'ii/oM niiUor Xut. 8rna.-:',<\ Ajiari/tfc I i I ly HliTTKUNUT. (i<) America have spared it, in clearing their new hinds. On liigli roads, I am of opiiiinn that it minht be clioscn to succeed the Khn ; for experience lias proved, that to insure success in Uie continued cuitivalion of tiees or herba- ceous plants on the same soil, the practice must be varied with species of dillerent genera. Nuts of the European Walnut and of the lllack Walnut have been planted at the same time in the same soil : those of the J'daek Walnut are observed to shoot more vii^orously, and to grow in a given time to a greater height. By grafting the European upon the American sjjecies at the height of 8 or ten feet, their advantages, with respect to the (piality both of wood and of fruit, might be united. PLATE XXX. ^^ leaf of half il.i nulural slzr. Juf^. I, // uuf rrlth Us husk. Fr.;. 2, A nut irilhoul lis hiisl,-. /uix. U, .7 Imrrcu ainnil. BUTTEllNUT. '< "■ JucLANscATHARTicA. J.folioHs suhquhidcnh , luiiccolalis, bast rot i()uIuto-o(i- ttisis sublh-s toinnilosis, Icvitcr scrrulis : fniclu ohfotigo, ovato, apice. mam- 711080, visciilo, huge' pvdunciilulo, mice oblonga, acmniiuUa, insignilcr insculjilti-scabrosd. This species of Walnut is known in North America, under different de- nominations. In Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, it bears the name of Oil- nut: in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and on the banks of the Ohio, it is generally known by that of White Walnut ; in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and in the mountainous districts of the upper parts of the Carolinas, it is called Butternut. The last of these names I have retained, because it is not wholly unknown in those parts of the United States where the others are in general use, and because the wood is employed in the neighborhood of New York for a greater variety of uses than elsewhere. I think also that the latin specific name Calhartica, which Avas long since given it by Doctor Cutler of Massachusetts, should be dc- '< 70 HUTTEKN ri'. liiiitivoly substituted lor that of Cincrea, by wliiuh it lias hitherto been (listingiiislicd among botanists. This last appellation, derived from the color of the secondary branches, whose bark is smooth and grayish, suggests only an unimportant chatacteristic, while the first expresses one of the most interesting properties of 'he tree. The Butternut is found in Upper and Lower Canada, in the District of Maine, on the shores of Lake Erie, in the States of Kentucky and Tennes- see, and on the baidvs of the Missouri; but I have never met with it in the lower parts of the Carolinas, of Georgia, and of East Forida. where the nature of the soil and the intemperate heat of the summer, are unfavora- ble to its vegetation. In cold regions, on the contrary, its growth is luxu- riant, for in the State of Vermont,* where the winter is so rigorous that sledges are used during four months iu the year, this tree attains a circum- ference of 8 or 10 feet. I have nowhere seen it more abundant, than in the bottoms which border the Ohio between Wheeling and Marietta : but the thickness of these forests which are hardly penetrated by the sun, ap- pears to prevent its utmost expansion. I have seen here no trees as large as some in New Jersey, on the steep and elevated banks of the Hudson, nearly opposite to the city of New York. The woods in this place are thin, and the soil cold, unproductive, and interspersed with large rocks, in the interstices of which the biggest J5utternuts have their root. I have measured some of them, which, at 5 feet from the ground, were 10 or 12 feet in cir- cumference, and which were 50 feet in height, with roots extending even with the surlace of the ground, in a serpentine direction, and with little variation in size, to the distance of 40 feet. The trunk ramifies at a small height, and the branches, seeking a direction more horizontal than those of other trees and spreading widely, form a largo and tufted head, which gives the tree a remarkable appearance. The buds of the Butternut, like those of the Black Walnut, are uncov- ered. In the spring its vegetation is forward, and its leaves unfold a fort- night earlier than those of the Hickories. Each leaf is composed of 7 or 8 pair of sessile leaflets, and terminated by a petiolated odd one. The leaflets are from 2 to 3 inches in length, lanceolate, serrate, and slightly downy. The barren flowers stand on large cylindrical aments, which are single, 4 or 5 inches long, and attached to the shoots of the preceding year ; the fertile flowers on the contrary, come out on the shoots of the same spring, and are situated at their extremity. The ovarium is crowned by two rose colored stigmata. The fruit is commonly single, and suspended by a thin, pliable peduncle, about 3 inches in length ; its form is oblong- oval, without any appearance of seam. It is often 2i inches in length, and 5 inches in circumference, and is covered with a viscid adhesive sub- * [ It occurs in all the New England states. Emkrson.] i BUTTERNUT. Tl hitlierto been ved from the yish, suggests le of the most lie District of and Tcnncs- with it in the la, where the are unfavora- rowth is luxu- rigorous that ains a circuin- idant, tiian in Marietta: but the sun, ap- trees as large f the Hudson, place are thin, ; rocks, in the lave measured 12 feet in cir- xtending even md with little ramifies at a orizontal than tufted head, it, are uncov- I unfold a fort- nosed of 7 or Id one. The , and slightly jts, which are le preceding fehoots of the is crowned id suspended Im is oblong- Is in length, Idhesive sub- stance, composed of small transparent vesicles, which are easily discerned with the aid of a glass. The nuts are hard, oblong, rounded at the base, and terminated at the summit in an acute point ; the surface is very rough, and deeply and irregularly furrowed. They are ripe, in the neighborhood of New York, about the loth of September, a fortnight earlier than the other species of Walnut. Some years they are so abundant, that one per- son may gather several i)ushi'ls of thcin in a day. The kernel is thick and oily, and soon becomes rancid ; hence, doubtless, arc derived the names of IJutternut and Oilnut. These nuts are rarely seen in the markets of New York and Philadelphia. The Indians who inhabited these regions, pounded and boiled them, and separating the oily substance which swam upon the surface, mixed it with their food. When the fruit has attained about half its growth, it is sometimes used for making pickles, being fust plunged into boiling water, and thoroughly wiped, to clean it of its down, and afterwards preserved in vinegar. The Black Walnut and Butternut, when young, resemble each other in their foliage, and in the rapidity of their growth ; but when arrived at maturity, their forms are so different as to be distinguishable at first sight. Remarkable peculiarities are also found, on examining their wood, espe- cially when seasoned : the Black Walnut is heavy, strong, and of a dark brown color ; while the Butternut is light, of little strength, and of a reddish hue : but they possess in common, the great advantage of lasting long, and of being secure from the annoyance of worms. From its want of solidity and from the difiiculty of procuring pieces of considerable length. Butter- nut timber is never used in the cities, in the construction of houses, though it is sometimes employed for this purpose in the country. In some Dis- tricts of New Jersey, it is often taken for the sleepers which are placed immediately on the ground, in the framing of houses and barns. As it long resists the effects of heat and moisture, it is esteemed for the posts and rails of rural fence, and for troughs for the use of cattle. For corn shovels and wooden dishes, it is preferred to the Red-flowering Maple, because it is lighfer and less liable to split ; consequently, articles made of it are sold at a higher price. Near New York, I have observed it to be made use of for canoes formed of one or two logs, and for the futtocks designed to give them solidity ; but in boats of considerable size some stronger wood is selected for this purpose. At Pittsburgh on the Ohio, the Butternut is sometimes sawn into planks, for the construction of small skiffs, which, on account of their lightness, are in request for descending the river. At Windsor in Vermont, it is used for the pannels of coaches and chaises ; the workmen find it excellently adapted to this object, not only from its light- ness, but because it is not liable to split, and receives paint in a superior manner ; indeed I have remarked that its pores are more open than those of the Poplar and Basswood. I ! ii BUTTERNUT. The inediciiuil properties of IJuttermit bark have loii^ since been proved by several eminent physicians of tlie United States, and amon<^ others, hy J)octor CntUir'. An extract in water, or even a decoction sweetened witli lioney, is acknowk'dged to be one of the best catliar- tics afforded by tlie materia medica ; its purgative operation is always sure, and unattended, in the most delicate constitutions, with pain or irritation. Experience lias shown that it produces the best effects in many cases of dysentery. It is commonly f>iven in the form of pills, and to adults, in doses from half a scruple to a scruple. It is not, however, in general use, except in the country, where many of the farmers' wives provide a small store of it in the spiing, for the wants of their families and of their neighbors. They obtain it by boiling the bark entire in water, till the liquid is reduced by evaporation, to a thick viscid substance, which is almost black. This is a faulty process ; the exterior bark, or the dead part which covers the cellular integument, should first be taken off, for, by continued boiling, it becomes charged with four fifths of the liquid, already enriched with extractive matter. I have also seen this bark successfully employed as a revulsive, in inflammatory opthalmias and in the toothache : a piece of it soaked in warm water, is applied in these cases to the back of the neck. In the country, it is sometimes employed lor dying wool of a dark brown color ; but the bark of the Black Walnut is preferable for this purpose. On a live tree, the cellular tissue, when first exposed, is of a pure white, in a moment it changes to a beautiful lemon color, and soon after to a deep brown. If the trunk of the Butternut is pierced in the month which precedes the unfolding of the leaves, a pretty copious discharge ensues of a slightly sugary sap, from which, by evaporation, sugar is obtained of a quality in- ferior to that of the Sugar Maple. Although the Butternut, as has been seen, possesses useful properties, I do not think it sufficiently valuable, either in the arts or for fuel, to recom- mend its introduction into the forests of the old continent : it should find place only in our pleasure grounds. PLATE XXXI. A leaf of half its natural size. Fig. 1, A nut with its husk. without its husk. Fig. 2, A nut » [Previously, by Dr. Rusli, in tlic war of tlic Revolution ; the officinal extract is the only one now used by practitioners,] r since bcon s, and amonf; 1 a (It'coction ; best catliar- ion is always s, with pain e best effects the form of le. It is not, )f the fanners' - their families ritire in water, stance, which ;, or the dead en off, for, by iquid, already : successfully be toothache : to the back of ng wool of a L'rable for this is of a pure 1 soon after to 1 precedes the of a slightly a quality in- 1 properties, I lel, to recom- t should find Fig. 2, Jl nut It is the only one II ?; V. ■ ,',; ./,.„.■.■/',„.,■' l\uiiii(MMi( IIh korv . ^IN//tlllX o//t>(t'-/(>rtKUf. /'/..>'. /■""■■//.:,, I \ ) i. C r.i J PKCANNUT IIICKOIIY. JvuLANH oi.iv.T.fORMis. .hj,.r"lis iifiiiiiiiii, suliirHti/olii, fiilrrifi.i, xrrratis ! finflu oblougn, iirotni)ui/o-ijuit(lniii}{itlo ; niicr oliviij'onni, livi, Cbrya olivooforniii. NvtT' Tins spooies, wliicli is fmiiul in upper TiOiiisiann, is rallod by tlm Frcnrh of Illinois and N't'W Orleans, Piuutnicr, nml ils (Vuit PacancH. Tliis iianii! lias [)ecii aiiopted Ijy tlio inhabitants of the United Slates, who call it Pe- canniit. On tho hordeis of the rive-s Missouri, Illinois, St. frnneis, and Arkansas, it is most abundantly niultipliod : it is also common on the river Wabash ; on the Ohio, it is found for •!()() miles fiom ils junclion with the Mississippi : bin;ber tlian this, it becomes more rare, and is not seen beyond Louisville. My father, in traversing this country, learned from the French inhabitants, who ascend tin; Mississippi in (piest of furs, that it is not found on that river, beyoiul the mouth of the (Jreat Mackakity, which discharges itself in the latitude of ir 51'.* This tree grows most naturally in cold and wet grounds. There is a swainj) of 800 acres, situated on the right baid< of the Oliio, opposite to the river Cumi)erlaiid, which is said to be entirely covered with it, and which is called by the J''ieneh, hi jincariicrr. The I'ecannut is a beautiful tree, with a straight and well-shaped trunk ; in the forests, it reaches the heinht of fit) or 70 feet. Its wood is coarse- pndned, and like the other Hickories, heavv and coiupaet : it possesses also great strength and durability ; but in these respects, it is inferior to some species liereaftor to be described. Its buds, like those of the 151aek Walnut, and Hutternut are uncovered. The leaves are from 12 to IS inches in length, and are supported by petioles somewhat angular, and slightly downy in the spring. Each leaf is composed of G or 7 pair of sessile leallets, and terminated by a petiolaled odd one, which is commonly smaller than the pair immediately preceding. The leallets, on nourishing trees, are from 2 to 3 inches long, ovate, serrate, and remarkable for the circidar form of the upper edge, while the lower one is less rounded. It is also to be noticed, that the main rib is ])laced a little below the middle of the leallet. The nuts, which are usually abundant, are contained in a husk from one to two lines thick, and have four slightly prominent angles, corresponding * [It boars fruit in gardena near Philailuli>liia, but can scarctly be said to [lurfect il.] 10 74 BITTKllNMri' HICKORY. to their internal divisions'. They vary in length i'roni an inch to an inch and a half, are pointed at the extrcmilies, of a cylindrical Ibrm, and of a yellowish color, marked, at the period of perfect maturity, with blackish or purple lines. The shell is smooth and thin, thou;j;h too hard to he broken by the fingers: the kernel is full, and not being divided by ligneous parti- tions, is easily extracted. 'I'liese nuts, which are of a very ngreeabh; taste, form an oliject of petty commrrce, iietween Upper and Lower Louisiana. From Nev,- Orleans, they arc exported to tlie West Indies, and to the ports of the United States. They arc not only better than any other species of North American walnuts, but they appear to me to be more delicately flavoured than those of Europe. And besides, wild varieties of the Pecannut are found, the fruit of which is much larger than that of the European Walnut unimproved by culture, I am of opinion then, that this tree merits the attention boih of Americans and Europeans, and that by assiduous culti- vation it may be brought to a high degree of perfection. These advantages, it is true, are balanced in part by the slowness of its growth ; there are trees in France which have been planted more than thirty years, and which do not yield fruit. If the practice should be successfully adopted, of grafting the Pecannut on the Black Walnut, or on the Common Walnut, its vegetation would be incomparably more rapid, and no motive would discourage its propagation in Europe. PLATE XXXII. %9 leaf of half its iialitnil size. Fig. 1, ^ nut ivith its Jatsk. Fig. 2, A nut wilhottt its hus/c 1': t: .1 BITTERNUT HICKOKY. JuGLANs AMARA. J. ovbor maxima, foUoUs 1 — 9"'% glabris, conspicuc' serralis, imparl brcviter pctiolato : fnictit suhrotundo-ovoideo, siiperne sultiris prom- inulis ; nuce Icvi, subglobosd, mitcronatd : piitaminefragili, nttcleo amaro. Ciirya Amara. Nutt. Tins species is generally known in New Jersey by the name of Bilternut Hickory ; in Pennsylvania, and particularly in the county of Lancaster, it is called White Hickory and sometimes Swamp Hickory ; further south, it is >m an inch (o an incli iKiriciil ibrm, and of a "tiuity, wilh blackish ' too liaid to he bi-okon (led by ligneous parti- i very a!:,n-ceahle tasfe, •nl Lower Loul.siana! tlics, and (o (he ports ^''^y other species of > be more delicately ■it'tiesofthePecannn't the European Walnut this tree merits the t by assiduous culti- These advantages, 5 giowth; there are iity years, and which •afting the Pecannut t^egetation would be '■figc its propagation ,^1 conspicufi semtlis, criw sttturis prom- '/, 7iuc/co amuro. rya Amara. Nuti. >amo ofBitternut af Lancaster, it is irther south, it is i;p i I' K.. /..„.'.■ /./■■ riilliT Niii lln Ixorv , ^//if/r///,^ (II I III I (/ . I 1] I T T H II N U r IT I C; K O 11 Y. ij confounded willi tlie Pignut Hickory ; tlic Ficiich of Illinois, like tlie inlinbitnnts of New Jersey, <>ive it llie name ol' Ditternut, wliieli, 'is it indi- Ciih'S one of tlie peculiar jiroprrlii'S of llie fruit, I liine eliosen to relain. The Bitternut Hickory, I believe, is nowhere found much beyond the boundaries of Vermont, in the 45lh degree of latitude. It is not seen in the Province of Maine, where the borders of the rivers olFer situations anal- ogous to those in which it abounds, a few deiirces further south. In l>er- gen woods, six miles from New York, and in the bottoms which stretch along the Ohio, it grows to a very loi'ty stature ; I have measured trees wliicii were 10 or 12 feet in circumference, and 70 or 80 feet high. It attains these dimensions only in sj)ots where the soil is excellent, constantly coo], and often inundated by creeks and rivers. It is i)robal)ly because it thrives most in such situations, that it is sometimes called Swamp Hickory. Of all the Hickories, the vegetation of this species is the latest ; I have uniformly observed, that its leaves unfold a fortnight after the others. On ilourishing trees at an age to bear fruit, they are 12 or If) inches in length and nearly as much in breadth; the size, as in other vegetables, varies according to the nature of the soil, and the situation of the leaf upon a lower or upon an upper branch. Each leaf is composed of 3 or 4 pair of leaflets, and terminated by an odd one, which is larger than the preceding pair. The leaflets are about G inches in length, and an inch in breadth, sessile, oval-acuminate, deeply toothed, smooth, and of a dusky green. When the tree has shed its leaves, it may be distinguished by its yellow and naked buds. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the Bitternut Hickory blossoms aljout the 25th of May. The peduncles of the male flowers are in pairs, each supporting three flexible and pendulous aments : they are attached at the basis of liie shoots of the same season, while the female aments, which are not conspicuous, are placed at the extremity. The fruit is ripe about the beginning of October ; it is so plentiful that several bushels are sometimes gathered from a single tree. The husk is thin, fleshy, and surmounted on its upper half by four wing-like appen- dages. It never becomes ligneous, like those of the other Hickories, but softens and decays. The form of the nut in this species is more constant and more regular than in the others. It is broader than it is long, being 6 or 7 lines one way and 10 lines the other. The shell is white, smooth, and thin enough to be broken by the fingers. The kernel is remarkable for the deep inequalities prodiiced on every side by its foldings. It is so harsh and bitter, that squirrels and other animals will not feed on it, while any other nut is to be found. In some parts of Pennsylvania where this tree is multiplied, an oil is extracted from the nuts, which is used for burning in lamps and other infe- rior purposes. But from these experiments, in which individuals have 1 76 WATER BITTERN UT HICKORY. succeedfd, it is not to be concluded that a siifTicicnt product of this sort can bo obtained to form a braiicii of iiidustiy ; neither this, nor any other spe- cies of Walnut, is abundant enough in tlie United States. In tlie texture of iis l)ark, and in the color of its heart and sap, the Bit- ternut Hickory resembles the other Hickories, and its wood possesses, though in an iiderior degree, the weight, strength, tenacity and elasticity which so plainly distinguish them. At Lancaster, it is used for fuel, but it is not considered superior to the White Oak, nor sold at a higher price. The Bitternut Hickory exists and bears fruit in several gardens in France ; but it is of no value lor its nuts, and llourishes only in very fertile soils ; as its wood, also, is proved in America to be inferior to that of the following species, I thiidi it should not be propagated in the forests of Europe. PLATE XXXIII. H Ji leaf of Ihr natural size. Fig. 1, Jl nut with its husk. Fig. 2, .-? nut without ils huslc. WATER lUTTEllNUT HICKORY. JuoLANS AQUATicA, J. foUolis 9 — 11"'% lanceolato-acuminotis, stihserrulis, sessilibus, imparl breviter pctiolato : fructibus pedunculatis, nucc subdipressd, parvd, rubiginosd, tencrd. Cirya Aquatica, Nutt. No specific name has hitherto been given this species, which is confined to the Southern States ; it is confounded with the Pignut Hickory, though (iilfering from it in many respects. The name which I propose, appears Jiufhciently appropriate, for I have always found this tree in swamps, and ditches which surround the rice fields, where it is accompanied by the Red flowering Maple, Tupelo, Cypress and Carolina Poplar. The Water Bitte; nut Hickory grows to the height of 40 jr i>^ feet, and in its general RY. ct of this sort can )r any other spc- and sap, the Bit- wood possesses, ity and elasticity ed for fuel, but it higher price, 'eral gardens in ily in very fertile ior to that of the in the forests of Fig. 2, .^ nut RY. natis, subserrittis, I, nuce subdepressd, rya Aquatica, Nutt. which is confined t Hickory, though propose, appears > in swamps, and panied by the Red liar. The Water and in its general /' . > ,/u '//' n,ffiiiui fit/t/ii/t/Nr/i/<>,>if . /I.:.:,m ,!,■ /' n inrlif's M'>>ilL' ', I osifis, longissimis, fiUformilnis, exiniie tomen- tosis : fructu glot'oso vcl oblongo ; nucc quailranguld, crassd, durissimdque. Ciirya Tomcntosa, Nutt. In the parts of New Jersey which lie on the river Hudson, and in the City of New York and its vicinity, this species is known by the name of Mockernut Hickory, and, less commonly, of White-heart Hickory ; at Phil- adelphia and Baltimore, and in Virginia, that of Common Hickory is the only one in use. The French of Illinois call it Noyer dur, or Hard Walnut. 78 MOCK !■: UN IT niC K(»R V. Tlie first of tlioso deiiniuinations, wliich is dcsciiplive of tlie fruit, I liavc for lliat reason adopti'd. Tiiis specie's is not, as tlic iianic wliifli it hrars in tliat coiinliv wo\i!d indicate, more ninltiplied in Pennsylvania, and further soulli, tlian llic otlicr Hickories. I have not seen it norlli of Portsnioutli in New IFam])- sliirc, tlioui^li lot) miles sontli, in the nei er these disad- hito, and very lord the only 1 it exceeds S veil, the exter- play the young vain 20 inches e leallets, and liinate, sliifhlly o the c'uminou caves change .M()(jiv i:rni;t iiickou v i9 which arc not very conspicuous, are of a pale rose color, and are situated at the extremity of the young shoots. The fruit is ripe about the loth of November. It is odorous, sessile or rarely pedunculated, and commonly united in pairs. In form and size, it exhibits remarkable varieties: on some trees it is round, with depressed seams, on others oblong, with angular or prominent seams; it is sometimes 2 inches long and 12 or 15 lines in diameter, and sometimes of less than half this size. It dillers also in weight, as well as in configuration and volume, varying from one drachm to four. The largest nuts might be con- founded with those of the Thick Shellbark Hickory, and the smallest with those of the Pignut Hickory : I have selected for the drawing a nut of the most common size. The shell is very thick, somewhat channeled, and extremely liard. The kernel is sweet but ni'mute, and didicult to extract, on account of the stiong partitions which divide it: hence, probably, is derived the luune of Mockernut, and hence, also, this fruit is rarely seen in the markets. The trunk of the old Mockernut Hickory is covered with a thick, hard, and rugged bark. Its wood is of the same color and texture with the other Hickories, and characterized by the qualities which render this class of trees so remarkable. It is particularly esteemed for fuel, for which use, trees of G orS inches in diameter are preferred. At this stage of its growth, while the heart, the proper color of which is reddish, is not yet developed, it frecpiently goes by the name of White-heart Hickory. In the country, a greenish color is sometimes extracted from the bark, but it is not exten- sively in use. Of all the Hickories, this species is of the slowest growth: a fact which I have proved by planting nuts of the several species, and by comparing the length of their annual shoots. I have also been led to believe, that it is the most liable to be attacked by worms, and especially by the Cul/idiuin Jlexuosum, whose larva eats within the body of the tree. These consider- ations appear sufhciently weighty to induce cultivators, in forming large plantations, to prefer some of the species which are described in the sequel. PLATE XXXV. Alcafof the third of Its na/itral size. Fig. I,.'? nut ivilhits hi(slc. Fig. 2, /J nth without its husk. Fig. 3, CaUidiumJkxuosuin. |crs appear on jniale llowers [ so ] SITELLBARK IfTCKORY. Jucr.ANs SQUAMOSA. J. folloHs qnttiis, mnjoriliiis, Ionise piliolufls, ovato-nnimi- nalis, sirnil'iH, suhluH villouls, inipari sessi/l; (nnrnlis viancu/is, composilis, glabris,fiHfonnibus: friictu g/oboso, ilrprcsso, majore ; nitce comprcssu iilbd. Cftrya Alba. Nutt. The singular disposition of the bark in this species, has given rise to the descriptive names of Shellbark, Shagbark, and Scalybark Hickory, tlie first of which, as being most generally in use in the Middle and Southern States, I have adopted. IMany descendants of tlie Dutch settlors, who in- liahit the parts of New Jersey near the city of New York, call it Kislnj Thomas nut, and the French of Illinois know it by the name of Koycr taidrc, or Soft Walnut. Beyond Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, I have not observed the Shell- bark Hickory; and even there, its vegetation being impeded by the rigor of the climate, its stature is low and its fruit small. I have not found it in the forests of the District of JNlaine,* nor in those of Vermont, situated a little higher toward the north. It abounds on the shores of I^ake Erie, about Geneva in Gencssee, along the river Mohawk, in the neigbljourhood of Goshen in New .Jersey, and on the banks of the rivers Susquehannah and Schuylkill in Pennsylvania. In Maryland, in the lower parts of Vir- ginia, and in the other Soutl"irn States, it is less common. In South Caro- lina, I have not noticad it nearer Charleston than the parish of Goose Creek, about 24 miles distant. It is met with in the Western States, but not as frequently as the following species, — the Thick Shellbark Hickory, to which it bears a striking analogy, and with which it is confounded by the inhabitants. East of the Alleghanies, the Shellijark Hickory grows almost exclusively about swamps ami wet grounds, which are exposed to be inundated for several weeks together: in these situations, it is found in company with the Swamp White Oak, Red-llowering Maple, Sweet Gum, Buttoiiwood and Tupelo. Of all the Hickories, this species grows to the greatest height with proportionally the smallest diameter, for it is some- times seen SO or 'JO feet high, and less than two feet thick. The trunk is destitute of branches, regularly shaped, and of an almost uniform size for tiirec quarters of its length, thus forming a very fine tree. The greatest • [The Shellbark Hickory is found in the counly of York, in Maine. Emerson.] ! 'itlis, ovftto-rtrinni- mcu/is, coinpositis, tee comprcssa ulbct. -iirya Alba. Nutt. given rise to the flickory, the first e and Southern settlers, wlio in- k, call it Kislnj name of M)ycr ?rve(l the Shell- ed by the rigor not found it in nont, situated a J of J.ake Erie, neighljourhood Susquehannah r i)nrts of Vir- h\ South Caro- rish of Coose -M'n States, but bark Hickory, tinfounded by tickory giows le exposed to it is found in , Sweet Gum, grows to the r it is some- The trunk is iform size for The greatest 2mekso\.] \ '■ 4 A^>v, ./.■/ ■.,.';../. Shell haik I 111 ki)i\ SITKM, Tl ARK IlKMCOR V. Bt ppfiiliniity in its nppoarnncc, and lliaf hy wliirli it is most easily distin- j^iiislied, is the surface of the trunk. The exterior bark is divided into a great nuniher of loiiir, narrow plales, whieli l)end outward at the ctul'^, and adlicre only in the inidtlle. lirisllinir in this UKuiner wilii projeciing points, the SlicHhiirk Hickory attracts the attention of liie most carehvss observer. This remarkable exfoliation of the epidermis takes place only in trees which exceed 10 inches in diameter, thouj^h it is much eailicr in- dicated by seams. Tiiis characteristic, by which the tree may be rccos^f- nised in winter when siript of its leaves, does not exist duriu'^ the 7 or S firstyearsof its o. // scdion of the futile. Fii(. 3, .? nut without its husk. Fi^. 4i .^ burrcn miunt divided into (hne parts. THICK SIIKLLBAllK HICKORY. \ JuGLANs i.ACiNiosA. J. folHs viajoribus.folioUs 7 — 9"'% oiudo-acuminatis, srrra- tis, subtomrntosis, impari, prtiulutu : fruclu mnjorc, ovato ; nucc obloiigd, crassii, mcdiucritcr compn'ssu. C'Mya. Siilciita, Nutt. This species benrs a strikiiifr analogy to the procedino,', and is frequently confounded with it by the inhabitants of the Western country: some of them distinguish it by the name of Thick Shellbark Hickory, wliich should be presei'ved as its appropriate denomiiiaiion. Kast of the Alleghanies, this tree is rare, and is found only in a few places ; it grows on the Schuyl- kill river 30 or 40 miles front its junction witii the Delaware, and in the A'icinity of Springfield, 15 or 20 niih-s fiom i'hthulelphia, where its fruit is called Springlleld nut. It is also found in (lloucester county, in Virginia, imdcr the name of Gloucester Walnut. 'I'hcse dillerent denominations confirm my observation, that this spocii's is liule multiplied on the eastern side of the Alleghany Alountains ; a fact of which I became assured in travjlling through the country. It uliounds, on the other hand, in the bottoms which skirt the Ohio and the rivers which empty into it, where it unites with the Honey Locust, 151ack Maple, llackberry, IJlack Walnut, Wild Cherry, While and Red Kim, 15ox Klder, White Maple, and Button wood, to foim the thick and gloomy forests which cover these vallevs. Like the Shellbark Hickory, it grows to the height of SO feet, and its ample head is sujiported by a straight trunk, in diameter, proportioned to its elevation. The bark exhibits the same singular arrangement with that of the Shellbark Hickory : it is divided into strips from 1 to •'} feel long, which are warped oulwaid at the end, and attached only at the middle. They fall and are succeeded by others similarly disposed. It is only observable 84 THICK S1IELLI5AUK HICKORY. that in tliis species the plates are narrower, more numerous, and of a lighter color; fiorn which difFerenccs, I have thought proper to give it the specific name nnuciiiiosa. The outer scales of the buds do not adhere entirely to the inner ones, but retire as in the Shellbark Hickory. The leaves also, ■which vary in length from 8 to 20 inches, observe the same proccjs in unfolding, and are similar in size, configuralion and texture ; but they dillcr in being coniposed of 7 leallels and sonielimes of 9, instead of 5 the inva- riable number of the Sliellbark Hickory. The male aments are disposed in the same form, though they are, perhaps, a little longer than in the other species. The female flowers ajjpcar, not very conspicuously, at the extremity of the shoots of the same spring. They are succeeded by a large oval fruit, more than 2 inches long, and 4 or 5 inches in circumference. Like that of the Shellbark Hickory, it has four depressed scams, which, at its complete maturity, open through their whole length for the escape of the nut. The nut of this species is widely difTerent from the other ; it is nearly twice as big, longer than it is broad, and terminated at each end in a firm point. The shell is also thicker and of a yellowish hue, while that of the Shellbark nut is white. From the color of its nut, the Shellbark Hickory received the specific name of a/ba, which I have changed, as it indicates a character possesscil by it in common with another species, found in the Royal Gardens of the Petit Trianon. This species, originally from North America, belongs to the Scalybark Hickories. The nuts are white, and the entire fruit, though a little inferior in size, resembles that of the proper Shellbark Hickory. By its foliage, it is related to the Thick Shellbark Hickory, each leaf being composed of 4 pair of leaflets with an odd one. The specific name of arnhigua, might with propriety be given to it. The nuts of the Thick Shellbark Hickory are brought every autumn to the market of Philadelphia, but the quantity does not exceed a few bushels, and they are generally sold mixed with those of the Mockernut Hickory, which resemble some varieties of this species. The Gloucester Hickory I consider only as a variety of the Thick Shellbark Hickory, to which it bears the strongest resemblance, in its young shoots, in the number of its leaflets, and in its barren aments. The only essential difference is in the nuts ; those of the Gloucester Walnut are a third larger, with the shell one half thicker, and so hard that it requires pretty heavy blows of a hammer to crack them. In color, they resemble the nuts of the Mocker- nut Hickory, with the finest varieties of which they might, from this cir- cumstance, be confounded. The 'I'hick Shelll)ark Hickory, as has been said, is nearly related to the Shellbark Hickory, and its wood, which is of the same color and texture, unites the peculiar qualities of that species with such as are common to the Hickories. Its fruit, 'hough larger, is inferior in taste, and this cousidera- II Y. __ 5, and of a ligl>ter ive it the specilic adhere entirely to The leaves also, same procc^is in ic ; bvit they dillcr cad of b the inva- Mits are disposed jnger than in the nspicuously, at the cceeded by a large ; in circumference, d seams, which, at 1 for the escape of ■om the other ; it is terminated at each )f a yellowish hue, cceived the specific . character possessed oyal Gardens of the America, belongs to 2 entire fruit, though ShoUbark Hickory. cory, each leaf bein^' 10 specific name of rht every autumn to Cceed a few bushels, llMockernut Hickory, }loucestcr Hickory I iickory, to which it [ots, in the number ]sential diilerence is lird larger, with the retty heavy blows of . nuts of the Mocker- Light, from this cir- nearly related to the le color and texture, ]s are common to the and this cousidera- ■nilCK SllKLLJJARK HICKOllV. 85 ^ lion should induce proprietors in the Western country, in clearing thtir new lands, to spare the true Shellbark Hickory in preftrence, when both species are found upon the same soil. For the same reason, and for its favorable growth in less fertile grounds, and even in elevated situations, a fact which Iliave observed near I')rownsvilleon llie Monongaliela river, the same preference slioiild, I think, be given to it in the foresls of Hurojje. In tlie description of the Scaly bark Hickories, it has been seen, that they exliibit many stiiking trails of resemblance, wliieh may warrant the group- ing of tliem into a secondary section. Beside their generic and specific characters, they possess others peculiar to themselves, by which they are so nearly related, that were it not for some remarkable dilFercnces, they niiglit be treated as a single species. Tlie general characters of the Hick- ories are, three-clefted, pliable, and pendulous male aments, and certain common properties of the wood. To these are added, in the Scaly Hick- ories, a very thick husk covering the nut completely, and divided into four ])arts when ripe ; a shaggy bark on the trunk, indic;ited, in my opinion, by tlie external scales of the buds not adhering to those beneath ; and leaves composed of very large leailets of a uniform shape and texture. In com- paring the three species wilh eiich other, essential dill'erences are observed. The Shellbark Hickory, for instance, and the Jughins uinhi^iia arc con- stantly distinguished by the number of leaflets, which is always 5 in the first species and 9 in the last. The nuts and tlie entire fruit, on the other hand, are so much alike, that they might be mistaken for the product of the same tree ; the fiuit of both is round, with depressed seains, and the nuts are similarly moulded and c(jually white. If, on a more attentive examination, the Gloucester Hickory is determined to be a distinct species from the Thick Shellbark Hickory, it will be observed that they resemble each other in their leaves, composed of 7 and sometimes of 9 leailets, and in the luxuiiant force of their vegetation ; but that theydillor in their fruit, Avliich in the Thick Slielibark Hickory is oblong, wilh a compressed nut, like that of the Shellbark Hickory, of twice the size, and of a yellowish color, and in the Gloucester Hickory spherical and very large, with a large grayish white nut, nearly round, whose shell is 2 lines thick and extremely hard. In fine, it is to be remarked, that the species and the variety of the Scalybark Hickory which have been described, grow, or at least are most abundantly multiplied, in regions far remote from each other. PLATE XXXVII. *^ leaf of one Ihird of its natural size. Fig, 1, d section of the htis/i. Fig, 2, Xuts. C SG ] niiNUT lllCKOKY. JticLANs ronciNA. J. fo/lolis 5 — 7"'% ovnlo-aaiminalis, scrrnfis, ghibris ; amcntis musculls coinpositis,fi/iJ'orinibica, glahvis ; J'ruclu pijrifunnivel glo- hoso ; mice minium, Icvi, ditrhsbiu't . Cfirya Porcina, Nutt. This species is generally known in tlie United Stales by the name of Pignut and Ilognut Hickory, sometimes also by tliat of Broom Hickory. The first of these names is most commonly in use ; the others are known only in some districts of Pennsylvania, and particularly in the County of Lancaster. Portsmouth in New Hampshire may be considered as limiting, toward the nouh, the climate of this tree. A little further south, it is abundant, and in the Atlantic parts of the Middle States, it helps, with the Mockernut Hickory, White Oak, Swamp Wiiite Oak, Sweet Gum, and Dogwood, to form the mass of the forests. In the Southern Slates, espe- cially near the coast, it is less common in the woods, being found only on the borders of the swamps, and in places which are wet without being absolutely marshy, or exposed to be long inundated. This tree is met with in the Western country, but k'ss frecpienlly, I believe, than the Thick Shellbark and Mockernut Hickories. I liave observed that the last men- tioned species grows wherever tlie Pignut is found, but that tlie Pignut does not always accompany the Mockernut, which is satisfied with a less substantial soil. Tiiis remark I have made more particularly in the lower parts of Virginia, of tlie two Carolinas, and of Georgia. It appears then, that with the exception of the States of Vermont and New Hampshire, of the District of ]Maine, of the Geiicssee country, and of the cold and moun- tainous tracts aloii"; the whole ran large as those of the by small, oval buds, riiut Hickory, by its s in the other Hick- h, a few days before id of a reddish color, ng. The leaves are I I /y..'.v A /!/ I'lOMMl llu k(ll\' , htii/dil,- /i('/< l/lfi . I- ;■ I' I (i N I r IIK'KO K V (•(impound, iind vnry in size and in llic iinndicr of Iciidcls, accoidiii;^ lo tlio moisture and foitility of llio soil. In rich ^lounds, llicy arc 18 iuclics lonjT ; and tlio complete number of Irallets is 3 pairs with an odd one. 'I'he Icallets are 4 or 5 inches loirj;, acuminale, serrate, nearly sessile, and gla- brous or smooth on both sides. On vigorous trees, which grow in shady exposures, the petiole is of a violet color. The male ameuts are smooth, lllil'oim, llexible, and i)endidous : they are 2 inches loii'-,S and in their arraii'^ement ri senible those of the other Hickories. The female llowers are gieenisli, not very conspicuous, and situated at the extremity of the shoot: the licit succeeds them in pairs as often as singly. The huslc is thin and of a heau'iful green: when ripe it opens through half its length, for the jjassage of the nut. The nut is small, smooth, and very hard on account of the thickness of the shell. Its kernel is sweet but meager, and dillicidt to extract, from the firmness of the parti- tions. These nuts are never carried to market, but serve for I'ood to swine, raccoons, and the numerous species of .scpiiriels which iieople the forests. In the Pignut Hickory, the form and si/e of the nuts vary more than in the other species. Some are oval, and when covered with their husks resemble young figs; others are broader than they arc long, and others am perfectly round. Among these vaiious forms, some nuts are as large as (he thumb, and others not bigger than the little linger. Ahhough the same tree yields fruit of the same form every year, I cannot, after an attentive exami- nation of the young shoots and of the aments, consider these dilierences in any other light than as varieties. The two most remarkable of them are described in the new edition of the Spicics PI an la rum, by Willdenow, as distinct species. That with oblong fruit is called Jut more apt to : country near are of Hickory cs, that is, for but to be fit :omc perfectly !ghany Moun- king of hoops are consumed ps are made othe species. in February o parts, and I)ound at the lidity of the )f the United |be formed of young trees luntry which |out a second loper cannot litliin a year, to species of insect ; one of these, wliicli cuts williin llie wood, and commits the greatest ravages, is represented on the Plate of the Mockernut Hickory, the wood of which species I have ubserved to he pecidiarly iialiie to its attacks. 'I'he defects which unfit the Hickory tor use in tlie building of houses, equally exclude it lioni the construction of vessels. At New York and Philadelphia, the Shellbark and Pignut Hickories have been taken for keels, and are f.uiid to last as long as those of other wood, owing to their I)cing always m (hi; water. Of the two species, the Pignut would be pre- ferable as being less liable to split, but it is rarely found of as large dimen- sions as the other. In sloops and schooners, the rings by which the sails arc lioisted and confined to the mast, are always of Hickory. I have also been assured, that for attaching the cordage it makes excellent pegs, wliich are stronger than those of Oak: but they should set loosely in the holes, as otherwise for want of speedily scosoning, they soon decay. For handspikes, the Hickory is particularly esteemed on account of its strength: it is accord- ingly em])loyed in most American vessels, and is exported for the same purpose to Fngland, where it sells from 50 to 100 per cent higher than Ash, which is brought also from the north of the United States. The Hickories arc cut without distinction for this use, but the Pignut, I believe, is the best. All the Hickories are very heavy, and in a given volume contain a great quantity of combustible matter. They produce an ardent heat, and leave a heavy, compact, and long lived coal. In this respect, no wood of the same latiluile, in JCurope or America, can be compared to them : such, at least, is the opinion of all Europeans who have resided in the United States. At New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, people in easy cir- cumstances burn no other wood, and though it is sold 50 per cent higher than Oak, it is found proiitable in use. It sold at New York, the 20th of October, 1807, at 15 ilollars a cord, and Oak wood at 10 dollars. From its superior (piality, the Hickory is always sold separately. I have noticed that at New York, the Shellbark predominated in the fuel, and at Philadel- phia and Baltimore, the Mockernut. At Baltimore, the Shellbark, easily recognized by its scaly bark, is never seen. The quantity of the respective species of Hickory consumed in the cities is regulated by a soil and climate, more favorable to one than another, and not by an opinion entertained of their comparative excellence ; though experience shows the Mockernut to be the best and the Bitternut the poor- est. This difference, however, is too slight to be generally regarded. Of the uses to which the Hickory is devoted in tlie United States, two will principally contribute, together with the slowness of its growth, to its entire extermination ; these are, the cutting of the saplings for hoops and of the trees for fuel. These considerations, ^independently of many accessory t I I 1^: causes, which hasten the; dcVtnirtion of (he forests in this ]nnt fillho nevv world, load me to believe, that in less than 50 years they will not furnish a tenth piirt of tlie hoops (Iciaaiidcd in romiiuTce. Hence arise motives sufliciently powerl'id to en^^age j)i()[)iietors, who seek to preserve their forests and to ann;nient their vahie, 1o multiply in them the most useful trees, and especially the Hickories. The object might be fully attained by plantiiij^ the nuts, previously made to germinate in boxes fdled with earth, and kept moist in the cellar ; the success of this simple method is certain. It would be advantageous also, to plant a greater number than the soil can sustain, that when the poles are an inch in diametir, a part of them may be cut for hooj)s,''' while the rest are IcI'L to grow for fuel, or for other uses to which the Hickory is appropriate. It has been seen by what precedes, that though the Hickory wood has essential defects, they are compensated by good properties which render it valuable in the arts, and which entitle it to the attention of Europeans ; above all, as a combustible. Though its growth is slow during its early years, it should form a part of our forests. But I doubt whether this can be ellectcd except by planting nuts in the woods, for the trees, even when very young, with diiliculty survive transplantation. Before they are 3 lines in diameter and IS inches tall, they have a tap-root 3 feet long and desti- tute of fibres. Hence it has happened, that of more than a hundred thou- sand young plants, produced by nuts which I liavc at dillercnt times sent to France, very few are found alive. They have perished in the removal from the nursery, or I. die second transplantation to the place of their ultimate destination. The Black Walnut and Jiittcrnut, on the contrary, whose roots do not descend de('i)ly ajid are plentifully garnished with fdjres, easily recover after transplantation, even when 6 or 8 feet high at the time of their removal. In concluding this article, I recommend particularly for propagation in European forests the Shellbark Hickory and the Pignut Hickory, whose wood unites in the highest degree the valuable properties of the group. I think also, that the Pecannut merits attention from promoters of useful cul- ture, not so much for its wood as for its fruit, which is excellent and more delicate than that of the European Walnut. It might probably be doubled in size, if the practice was successfully adopted of gratling this species upon the Black Walnut or upon the Common European Walnut. • [Or for w!ilking-stii;ks, for which the consumption is consideriibic, and the demand con- stantly iacrcusinir. Emkuson, " Ticts and Shrubs of Massachusetts."] lit <)[' {hn no^v II not liiniish aiisc luotivrs iiescrve their : most useful ly attained by ;cl with earth, otl is certain. 1 the soil can them may bo other uses to 3ry wood has lich render it Europeans ; iring its early ithcr this can s, even when cy are 3 lines ng and desti- .uidred thou- : times sent to removal tioni leir uUimate trary, whose fibres, easily the time of opagatlon in kory, whose e group. I f useful cul- t and more be doubled lucies upon demand cun- I '.;i U A r L E s. Ok the species which compose this genus, the number known is already considerable, and will i)rol)ably be augmented by the I'uture researches of Botanists, especially on the continent of North America. The Maples, in general, are lofty and beautiful trees. One of their prin- cipal characters consists in opposite leaves divided into several very dis- tinct lobes. Capaljle of enduring an intense degree of cold, they tbrm in the north of the Old and of the IS'ew Continent, extensive forests, which, with those of the Beech, appear to succeed the Spruce, the Larch, and the Pine, and to precede the Chesnut and the Oak. Such, at least, seems to be in America, between the 43d and 4(ilh degrees of latitude, the place assigned by nature to the true Sugar Maple. The sp .'cies of iMaples hitherto described amount to fourteen, of which seven belong to Europe, and seven to Noith America. Among these last I have not included the J)\varf llt'd Maple, jlrer cucciiiciun, which is a diminutive species, and concerning which 1 do not possess adequate mate- rials for a description. It abounds in Nova Scotia, and has always been confounded with the proper Red Maple ; I have also ol)served it in the upper parts of New Hampshire. It scarcely exceeds 12 or IS feet in height, and its flowers and seeds are of a more vivid red than those of the Red Maple. The Black Sugar JMaple grows to about the same height with the Sugar Maple, but it is plainly a distinct species. In the collection of dried plants made by Captains Lewis and Clarke during their journey to the South Sea, I saw specimens of a beautiful Maple from the banks of Columbia river. From this brief summary it results that the North American species arc more numerous than those of Europe. The wood of the INLiples diiler so widely in quality in dillerent species, that it becomes dillicult to charac- terize it by general observations : it may be remarked that it speedily fer- ments and decays when exposed to the weather, that it is liable to be injured by worms, and that hence, it is unfit for building. It possesses properties, however, which compensate in part for these defects, and which render it ?^ useful ill the arts and in domestic economy. For more particular informa- tion, I must refer tlie reader to the descriptions of the respective species.* [Propagation and cttUure. The .^ctracetv prefer a free, deep, loamy soil, rich, rather tlian sterile, and neither wet nor very dry. The situation that suits them best is one that is sheltered, and shady rather than exposed. They are seldom found on the north sides of lofty mountains, or on moun- tains at all, except among other trees ; but in the plains they are found by thcmselvLS. Though the species only attain perfection in favorable soils and situations, they will spring up and live in any situation whatever. They are chielly propagated from seeds ; but some sorts are increased by layers, cuttings of the shoots or roots, or by budding or grafting. The seeds of most of the species ripen in October, and may be gathered by hand, or shaken from the tree, when the keys begin to turn brown. The maturity of the seed may be proved by opening the key, and observing if the cotyl- edons are green, succulent and fresh ; if the green color is wanting, the seeds are good for nothing. The seeds may cither be sown in autumn or in spring; the latter is preferable where moles abound, as they are very fond of the seeds. Sown in spring, they come up in five or six weeks, with the exception of Acer campestre, which never grow till the second or third year. The seeds should not be covered with more than from a quarter to half an inch of soil. The surface of the ground in which they are sown may be advantageously shaded with leaves, fronds of firs, or straw. The Jlcer argentcum, or Silvery-leaved, and .^cer ruhrum, or Scarlet INIaple, perfect their seeds in May, and these should be sown immediately alter having been collected ; they will vegetate directly, and produce fine plants the ilrst season, if kept free from weeds. The seeds of the former do not keep well till spring.] * [For a larffP iidilitinnnl list of iNIaplrs, sre Nuttall's SiippicnKiit, Vol. 9, p. 77, r/ srq. Many oflhnso are ilcsurviiisr oftliii attontioii ol'r)ur planters; cspeeially the large leaved Mapli;, some, limes 90 feet lii;.'li, with leaves nearly a f'uot in diaineler, alVording an impervious i;nd coiiipletu ehudc. Sec also Eincrsou's Trees and Shrubs ofMassuchusuU.-', p. 481. J iciilar iiifornia- ;(ive species.* ep, loamy soil, 2 situation tliat than exposed. 5> or on monn- Y are found by favorable soils 'hatever. 3 increased by ig. The seeds d by hand, or The inafuiity g if the cotyl- ing, the seeds iutunin or in :ire very fond eks, with the and or third 1 a quarter to ley are sown straw. , or Scarlet immediately produce fine the former ', rt srq. Many d Miipli", some, s -Liid complete [ 95 ] MKTIIODfCAL DISPOSITION OF TIIF- MAPLES OF NORTH AMERICA. JN(;i.Ul>lN(i TWO EUROPEAN ai'EfiES. Pulyandria diccda, Linn. Jlcera, J uss. FIRST SECTION. Scssilrjloivcrs. {Fructi/lcalion vernal.) 1. White Maple. 2. Rcd-ilowering Maple, .'leer criocarpitm. deer rubrum. SECOND SECTION. PrduncidulcilJIoivers 3. Sugar Maple, 4. Black Sugar Maple, 5. Norway Maple, 6. Sycamore, 7. Moose Wood, 8. Box Elder, 9. Mountain Maple, Fnicllficalion uulumnal, Jleer saecharintim. deer nigrum. Aeer platunoides. Jlcer pseiido-plataniis. Jlccr striatum. Jlcer negundo. •deer montanum. r !«' I WIllTK MATLE. AciiU KRincAnrrM. A. fnfUs nppnsitis, quhit/itefnbls, prnfiindi' s!niiit/in, inx- qualitrr dcnhifis, siibfiis cundidissinns : JJorlbuH pcntandrh, (ipclalis. Acer (liisycnriuini. EiiRKNnKRR. In the Atlantic jiarts of tlio United States, this species is often confounded with the Red ^rajjle which it nearly resembles ; west of the JNIountains, they are constantly disliniriiishcd, and the Jlcer eriocurpum is known by no other name than Wiiitc Maple. The banks of Sandy river in the District of Maine, and those of the Connecticut near Windsor, in Vermont, are the most northern points at which I have seen the White Maple. Hut, like many other vegetables, it is pinched by the rigorous winters of this latitude, and never reaches the size which it attains a few degrees further south. It is found on the banks of all the rivers which flow Irom the mountains to the ocean, though it is loss common along the streams which water the southern parts of the Carolinas, and of (Jcorgia. In no part of the United States is it more multiplied than in the Western Country, and nowhere is its vegetation more luxuriant than on the banks of the Ohio, and of the great rivers •which empty into it. There, sometimes alone, and sometimes mingled with the willow, which is found along all these waters, it contributes sin- gularly by its magnificent foliage to the embellishment of the scene. The brilliant white of the leaves beneath forms a striking contrast with the bright green above, and the alternate reflexion of the two surftices in the water, heightens the beauty of this wonderful moving mirror, and aids in forming an enchanting picture, which during my long excursions in a canoe in these regions of solitude and silence, I contemplated with unwearied admiration. Beginning at Pittsburg, and even some miles above the junction of the rivers Alleghany and Monongahela, White Maples 12 or 15 feet in circumference are continually met with at short distances. The trunk of this tree is low and divides into a great number of limbs so divergent, that they form a head more spacious than that of any other tree with which I am acquainted. It is worthy of remark, that the W'hite Maple is found on the banks of such rivers only as have limpid waters and a gravelly bed, and never in swami)s and other wet grounds enclosed in forests, where the soil is black and miry. These situations, on the contrary, are so well adapted to the Red Maple, that they arc fre- quently occupied by it exclusively. Hence the last mentioned species is sinnatis^ itwe- '. iipctalis, EimENDEno, en confounded ic Mountains, is known by I those of the lern points at vegetables, it r reaches the on tlie banks , tliough it is parts of the es is it more ts vegetation great rivers [nes mingled tributes sin- scene. The •ast with the faces in the , and aids in IS in a canoe 1 unwearied above tlie Ics 12 or 15 3S. number of that of any rk, that the lave limpid i'ct grounds ! situations, ley arc frc- 1 species is / /t-....v/ ,/,/ W lulr \l,i|,lr . lit'/ ( /V, U'tiri*fUN i'atf'fcl ^t'tii: k will ri: M Ai'Li:. ♦»7 cnmmon in tlm low it parts of llin (-'iiroliniis and of (Irorpiii, wImtc iIu' White .Mii|il(' is no loiii^rr seen ; for fis soon .i> tli! rivers, in disrendincr from the mountains towanls (lie oeean, rcaeli the low eminliy, llicy lie-in to 1)0 boriierccl Uy miry swamps covered with fliu (.'ypress, Hliiek^iim, l.iir^e Tupelo, etc. 'I'iie While Maple Mooius early in tin' spiiii'^': its llowcrs aic .small and sessile with a downy oi'«//»'wi. The tVuit is lander tljan that of any other species whieh i^rows eust ol' the Mississippi. Il eonsisls oi' two eapsides joined at the liase, eaeli of whicii encloses one roundish seed, and is termi- nated hy a iari^e ni(Mni)ranaeeoiis, falciloiiu wiu'^. In Pennsylvania, il is ripe ahout the 1st of May, ami n month earlier on the Savannah river, in (ieor- pia. At this period, the h aves which iiave attained half their si/e are veiy downy underneath ; a month later, \vheii fully j^rown, they are perfietly smooth. They are ojipo^ite and siipporleil liy lon'4 petioles ; they arc divi- ded hy deep sinuses into four lohes, are toollied on the ed^^es, of a bright green on tlie upper surface, aiul of a heaulilu! white beni'alh. The f(ilia;j,e, however, is scattered, and leaves an opeu passage to the sun beams. Tlie wood of this Ma|>le is very white, and of a tine strain ; but it is softer and li^dlter than that of the oilier species in the United States, and from its want of strenf>th and durability il is little used. Wooden bowls are sometimes made of it when Poplar caenot be procured. At Pittsbur;^, and in the neif^hborin;.^ towns, it serves in eabinel-maUin':;, instead of llollv, for inlayinjT furniture of Maboif.my, (-.'berry tree, and Walnut: thounli as it soon clian<^es color, it is biss fitted for this purpose. The hatters of Pills- burg prefer the charcoal of this wood to every other for heating their boil- ers, as it adbrds a heat more uniform, and of longer continuance. Some of the inhabitants on the Ohio make sugar of its sap, by the same process Avhich is employed with the Sugar Maple. Like the Ued Maple, it yiidds but half the product from a given measure of sa[) ; but the unrefined suj^ar is whiter and more agreeable to the tasle ihau that of the Sugar Maple. The sap is in motion earlier in this species than in the Sugar Maple, begin- ning to ascend about the 15th of January; so that the work of extracting the sugar is sooner completed. 'I'he cellular tissue rapidly produces a black precipitate with sulphate of iron. In all parts of the United Stales where this tree abounds, many others are found of superior value, its secondary consequence is evinced by the unimportant uses to which it is devoted. In Europe, the White Maple is multiplied in nurseries and gardens. Its rapid growth aflbrds hopes of cultivating it with profit in this quarter of the world, which is less rich in Ihe diversity of its species. In forming plantations, more care than has hitherto been taken, should be paid to the choice of the ground, which should be constantly moist, or exposed to m 98 RED FLOWERING MAPLE. aiiiuiiil iiuiiulatioiis: in such situiitious its vegetaliou would be surprisingly beautil'ul aud rapid. PLATE XL. A branch with leaves of the natural size. Fip;. 1, Burrcnjlowers. Fig. 2, Ftrlilcjloiccrs. Fig. 3, ,^ seed of the nulurul size. [For measurements of several White Maples sec Emkkson's Trees and Shrubs of Massaehusetts, p. 489.] IIKD FLOWERING MAPLE. AcKR RUDRUM. A.fo/Hs oppositis, trilobis, inicipialiler dciitalis, siiblus glaucis: Jloribiis rubris, aggrigatis; germinc gluberriino ; umbcUis scssilibiis: cap- sit/is rubris, peduncululis, DiFKKRKNT namcs are gi. Ji: to this tree in diflerent parts of the TInitcd States : east of the Alleghany IMounlains, it is called Red-flowering Maple, Swamp Maple and Soft Maple ; in the Western Country, sinii)ly Maple. The first denomination, which is most generally in use, is also most appro- priate, as the young shoots, the (lowers, and the fruit arc red. To'vni'l the North, the Red-llowering Maple appears first about Male- haye, in Canada, in the latitude 48° ; but it soon becomes more common in proceeding southward, and is Ibund .abundant to the extremities of Flo- rida and Lowur Louisiana. Of all the trees which flourish in wet grounds occasionally overllowed, this species is most multiplied in the Middle and Southern States. It occupies, in great part, the borders of tiie creeks, and abounds in all the swamps which are often inundated, and always miry. In these situations, it is accomjKUiied by the iJlaclcgum, Sweetgum, Shell- bark Hickory, Swamp White Oak, Black Ash and White Ash. To these are added, in the Carolinas and Georgia, the Small Magnolia or Swamp Bay, the Water Oak, Loblolly Bay, Tupelo, rnid Red Bay. It is a remark- able fact, that v>-est of the mountains, between Brownsville and Pittsburg, the Red-llowering Maple is seen growing on elevated ground with the Oaks I •v. I. E. ifould be suipiLsiiigly rrenjloircrs. Fig. 2 mkhson's Trees and 'alls, sub/us g/micis: His sessilibus: cap- arts of the United id-flowering Maple, ;ry, simply Maple, is also most uppro- ire red. first about Male- les more common extremities of Flo- lisli in wet grounds in the Middle and of the creeks, and and always miry. Sweetgiim, Shell- e Ash. To these ignolia or Swamp y. It is a reniark- ille and Pittsburg, und with the Oaks HI < 11 h'f RED KLOWEUrNC MAPLE. !)n and the Waliuils. \ liuvo nowlit rr oli.scivfd i( of us iiiinilc (liiiicnsinns us in Ponnsylvaniu uml .Ni:\v .Irisi'v : in tlicsi' Status exist cxtciisivi! inarslirs, rallcil !\Ia|)l(' s\vaiiii)s, fvclusivi'ly covcicil witli it, wlien; it is I'oinul 70 feet liie tracts will be ■ofilablo than the il ncilluM' for the it possesses little speedily decays ire. Though at s not such as to y become rare, cd States, as in ive escaped de- :s, the Walnuts, //^.. ' H J Jln/rn, JJ Sii<^;u' .\|;inl(\ III/ .<,/, I ,'itu tn/i/n /'> ..■ (■•'fnW ,;,//^r SH(JA II M A I' l.i:. 101 nml tlie Ashe**, many spceips more ^ 1.0 I.I ■" ISA us |Z8 1 2.5 U^ 12.2 Wtek IL25 i 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ,.v ,v^ >% ^ .^^ MP. W (5 ^ 102 SUGAR MAPLE species which I sliall dcscriln', which has hitherto been confounded by liotanists with the Suii;;ii' Mnplc. In the lower pails of \'ii;i,inia, of tlie (i'arollnas, and of fJeor^ia, and likewise in tin; iMississippi Turiilorv, this tree is unknown or very rare. It is rapidly disappearing from the forests about New York and Philadelphia, where it is no longer drained for sugar, but is felled for fuel and other purposes. Between the parallels mentioned as bounding the tracts where this tree is most abundant, the forests do not resemble those of a more southern latitude ; they are composed of two diderent descriptions of trees divided into two great classes, which alternately occupy the soil, and which exist in nearly equal proportions. The first class comprises the resinous trees, such as Pines and Spruces, and covers the low grounds and the bottoms of tlie valleys ; these forests are called li/ack nood hauls. The second class consists of leafy trees, such as the Sugar JVIaple, the White and the Red Beech, the ]5irches and the Ashes, of which the Sugar Maple is most multi- plied. They grow on level grounds or on gentle declivities, and form what are denominated Hard nood lands. In proceeding from the 4Glh degree of latitude northward, the trees of the second class are observed to become more rare, and the resinous trees in the same proportion more abundant : below the 43(1 degree, on tlie other hand, the resinous trees are found less common, and the others lose their picdominance in the forests, as they be- come mingled with the numerous species of Oaks and Walnuts. The Sugar Maple covers a greater extent of the American soil than any other species of this genus. It llourishes most in mountainous places, wlune the soil though fertile is cold and humid. Beside the parts which I have particularly mentioned, where the face of the co\intry is generally of this nature, it is found along the whole chain of the Alleghanies to their termination in Georgia, and on the steep and shady banks of the rivers which rise in these mountains. The Sugar Maple reaches the height of 70 or SO feet, with a proportional diameter; but it does not commonly exceed 50 or 60 feet, with a diameter of 12 or 18 inches. Well grown, thriving trees are beautiful in their appearance, and easily distinguishable by the whiteness of their bark. The leaves are about five inches broad, but they vary in length according to the age and vigor of the tree. They are opposite, attached by long petioles, palmated and unequally divided into 5 lobes, entire at the edges, of a bri'dit oreen above, and glaucous or whitish underneath. In autumn, they turn reddish with the first frosts. Except in the color of the lower surface, they nearly resemble the Norway ]\Iaple. The flowers are small, yellowish and suspended by slender, drooping peduncles. The seed is contained in two capsules united at base and terminated by a membranous wing. It is ripe near New York in the beginning of October, though the leen confounded by iid of (Jeorn-ia, and )\vn or very rare. It k and Pliiladelpbia, 1 for fuel and other acts wliere this tree of a more southern 3ns of trees divided )il, and which exist ! the resinous trees, and the bottoms of Tlie second chnss White and the Red laple is most multi- ties, and form what the 4Gth degree of )served to become n more abundant : rees are found less forests, as they be- "alnuts. ican soil than any )untainous places, le the parts which luntry is generally eghanies to their nks of the rivers |ith a proportional with a diameter |eautiful in their of their bark, ength accordinjT tached by long lire at the edges, Ih. In autumn, n' of the lower wers are small, The seed is a membranous ber, though the SUGAR MAPLE. 103 capsules attain their full size six weeks earlier. Externally, they appear equally })erfect, but I have constantly found one of them empty. The fruit is matured only once in two or three years. The wood when cut is white, but after being wrought and exposed for some time to the light, it takes a rosy tinge. Its grain is fine and close, and when polished it has a silkei\ lustre. It is vi.n stmn';' iitul sullirirnlly heavy, but wants the proimitv of durability, for wliirU t!i': Chrsnut and tlie Oak arc so jiigldy c-.t('iMn''d. \Vhen r\ posed to lunisture it soon decays, and for this reason it is neglected in civil and naval architecture. In Vermont, New Hampshire, the District of i\Iaine, and further north, where the Oak is not plentiful, this timber is substituted for it, in prefer- ence to the Beech, the Birch, and the .Elm. When perfectly seasoned, which requires two or three years, it is used by wheelwrights for axle-trees and spokes, and for lining the runners of common sleds. It is also em- ployed, as well as the Red-flowering Maple, in the JNIanufacture of Wind- sor chairs. In the country, where the houses are wholly of wood. Sugar Maple timber is admitted into the frame ; and in the District of Maine, it is preferred to the Beech for the keels of vessels, as it furnishes longer pieces : with the Beech and the Yellow Pine, it forms also the lower frame, which is always in the water. This wood exhibits two accidental forms in the arrangement of the fibre, of which cabinet-makers take advantage for obtaining beautiful articles of furniture. The fust consists in undulations like those of the curled Maple, the second, which takes place in old trees which are still sound, and which appears to arise from an inllexion of the fii)re from the circumfer- ence toward the centre, produces spots of half a line in diameter, some- times contiguous, and sometimes several lines apart. The more numerous the spots, the more beautiful and the more esteemed is the wood ; this variety is called Bird's-eye Maple. Like the Curled Maple, it is used for inlaying Mahogany. Bedsteads are made of it, and portable writing desks, which are elegant and highly prized. To obtain the finest ell'ect, the log should be sawn in a direction as nearly as possible parallel to the con- centric circles. When cut at the proper season, the Sugar IMaple forms excellent fuel. It is exported from the District of Maine for the consumption of Boston, and is equally esteemed with the Hickory. The opinion entertained of it in this respect, in the North of America, accords with the interesting expe- riments of Mr. Ilartig on the comparative heat afforded by different species of European wood, from which it results, that the Sycamore, Jlcer ■jiscudo- ■plutanus, is superior to every other. The ashes of the Sugar Maple are rich in the alkaline principle, and it may be confidently asserted, that ihcy furnish four-fifths of the potash ex- ported to Europe from Boston and New York. lot •SUGAll MAPLE. In the i'oigcs of Vermont and the District of Maine, tlio charcoal of this wood is preferred to any other, and it is said to he onc-filih heavier than the coal made from the same species in the INFiddic and Sonthcrn States : a fact which sufTiciently evinces that this Maple acquires its characteristic properties in perfection, only in northern climates. The wood of the Sutfnr Mii})le is easily distinguished from that of the lled-dowcring Maple, which it resembles in appearance, by its weight and hardness. There is, besides, a very simple and certain test : a few drops of sulphate of iron being poured on samples of the dilFerent species, tlie Sugar Maple turns greenish, and the White Maple and Red-llowering Maple change to a deep blue. The extraction of Sugar from the Maple is a valuable resource in a country, where all classes of society make daily use of tea and colfee. The process by which it is obtained is very simple, and is every where nearly the same. Thougii not essentially defective, it might be improved and made more profitable by adopting hints which have been thrown out in American publications. The work is commonly taken in hand in the month of February, or in the beginning of March, while the cold continues intense, and the ground is still covered with snow. The sap begins to be in motion at this season, two months before the general revival of vegetation. In a central situa- tion, lying convenient to the trees from which the sap is drawn, a shed is constructed, called a sugar camp, which is destined to shelter the boilers and the persons who tend them, from the weather. An auger ? of an inch in diameter, small troughs to receive the sap, tubes of Elder or Sumac, 8 or 10 inches long, corresponding in size to the auger, and laid open for a part of their length, buckets for emptying the troughs and conveying the sap to the camp, boilers of 15 or 18 gallons capacity, moulds to receive the sirup when reduced to a proper consistency for being formed into cakes, and lastly, axes to cut and split the fuel, are the principal utensils employed in the operation. The trees are perforated in an obliquely ascending direction, 18 or 20 inches from the ground, with two holes 4 or 5 inches apart. Care should be taken that the augers do not enter more than half an inch within the wood, as experience has shown the most abundant flow of sap to take place at this depth. It is also recommended to insert the tubes on the south side of the tree ; but this useful hint is not always attended to. The troughs, which contain 2 or 3 gallons, are made, in the Northern Slates, of White Pine, of While or Black Oak, or of Maple ; on the Ohio, SUGAR IMAPLE. 105 le charcoal of this -filth heavier than 1 Southern States : its characteristic from that of the by its weiglit and test : a few drops IFerent species, the ind Red-llowering able resource in a ea and colfee. ind is every where night be improved lave been thrown of February, or in se, and the ground tion at this season, In a central situa- s drawn, a shed is shelter the boilers auger ? of an inch Elder or Sumac, 8 nd laid open for a nd conveying the noulds to receive eing formed into principal utensils lircction, 18 or 20 jart. Care should In inch within the sap to ttikc place on the south side in the Northern lie ; on the Ohio, the Mulberry, which is very abundant, is preferred. The Chesnut, the Hiack Walnut, and the Uutternut, slioulil be rejected, as they impart to the liquid the coloring matter and bitter principle with which they arc im- pregnated. A trough is placed on the ground at the foot of each tree, and the sap is every day collected and temporarily poured into casks, from which it is drawn out to fill tlie boilers. The evaporation is lve])t up by a brisk fire, and tlie scum is carefully taken oil' during this part of the process. Fresh snp is added from lime to time, and the lieat is maintained till the licpiid is reduced to a sirup, after which it is left to cool, and then strained through a blanket or other woolen shill", to separate the remaining impurities. Some persons recommend leaving the sirup twelve hours before boiling it for the last time ; others proceed with it immediately. In either case, the boilers are only half fdled, and, by an active, steaily heat, the liquor is rapidly reduced to the proper consistency for being poured into the moulds. The evaporation is known to have proceeded far enough when, upon rub- bing a drop of the sirup between the fingers, it is perceived to be granu- lar. If it is in danger of boiling over, a bit of lard or of butter is thrown into it, which instantly calms the ebullition. Tlie melasses being drained ofTfrom the moulds, the sugar is no longer deliquescent, like the raw sugar of the West Indies. Maple Sugar manufactured in this way is light colored, in proportion to the care with which it is made, and the judgment with which the evap- oration is conducted. It is superior to the brown sugar of the Colonies, at least, to such as is generally used in the United States ; its taste is as pleasant, and it is as good for culinary purposes. When refined, it equals in beauty the finest sugar consumed in Europe. It is made use of, how- ever, only in the districts where it is made, and there only in the country ; from prejudice or taste, imported sugar is used in all the small towns, and in the inns. The sap continues to flow for six weeks, after which it becomes less abundant, less rich in saccharine matter, and sometimes even incapable of crystalization. In this case, it is consumed in the state of melasses, which is superior to that of the Islands. After three or four days' exposure to the sun. Maple sap is converted into vinegar by the acetous fermentation. In a periodical work published at Philadelphia several years since, the following receipt is given for making Sugar Maple beer : Upon 4 gallons of boiling water pour one quart of Maple melasses ; add a little yeast or leaven to excite the fermentation, and a spoonful of the essence of spruce ; a very pleasant and salutary drink is thus obtained. The process which I have described for extracting the sugar is the most common one, and it is the same from whatever species of Maple the sugar is made. 14 106 SIKJAR MAPLE. ! i Tliu ainoimt of sii!j;iir manufactured in a year varies from diireient causes. A cold and dry winter renders the trees more productive than a chanj^e- able and liumid season. It is observed, that wlien a frosty nii^lit is follow- ed by a dry and brilUant day, the sap dows abundantly ; and 2 or 3 gallons are sonu-tiines yielded by a single tree in twenty-four hours. Tlu'ce per- sons are inund suHlcient to tend •2~){) trees, which give lOOO pounds of su- gar, or 4 pounds from each tree. IJut this product is not uniform, for many farmers on the Ohio liave assured me, that, they did not commonly obtain more than 2 pounds from a tree. Trees which grow in low and moist places afford a greater quantity of sap than those which occupy rising grounds, but it is less rich in the sac- charine principle. That of insulated trees, left standing in the middle of fields or by the side of fences, is the best. It is also remarked, that in districts which have been cleared of other trees, and even of the less vig- orous Sugar Maple, the product of the remainder is, proportionally, most considerable. While I resided in Pittsburg, the following curious particulars appeared in the Greensburg Gazette : " Having introduced," says the writer, "twenty tubes into a Sugar Maple, I drew from it the same day 23 gallons and 3 (piarts of sap, which gave 11 pounds of sugar; 33 pounds have been made this season from the same tree ; which supposes 100 gallons of sap." It appears here, that only a little more than 3 gallons was required for a pound, though 4 are commonly allowed. In the foregoing experiments, 5 quarts were drawn in one day from each tube, wiiich is about equal to the quantity discharged when two pipes are employed. Might it not hence be concluded, that the sap escapes only from the orifices of the vessels, which have been divided by the auger, without being diverted to this issue from the neighboring parts ? I am the more inclined to this opinion, as in rambling one day, in the profound solitude of the forests, on the banks of the Ohio, the idea suggested itself to me of cutting into a Maple which had been bored the preceding year, I found, amid the white mass of its wood, a green column, equal in width and in depth to the hole beneath. The organization appeared not to be affected ; but this is not sufficient to warrant the conclusion, that these vessels would be in condition to give passage to the sap the succeeding year. It may be objected, that trees have been drained for 30 years, with- out diminution of their produce. But a tree of 2 or 3 feet in diameter pre- sents an extensive surface, and the tubes are every year shifted ; besides, the successive layers of 30 or 40 years would restore it nearly to the state of one that never had been perforated. In the United States, Maple sugar is made in the greatest quantities in the upper part of New Hampshire, in Vermont, in the State of New York, particularly in Genesee, and in the counties of Pennsylvania which lie oa from diirerent causes. :tive than a cliati<,'c- Vosty night is ibllow- ■ ; and 2 or 3 {rallons • hours. Tlueo pcr- c 1000 i)ounds ol' su- ot uniform, for niimy not commonly obtain a greater quantity of less rich in the sac- ing in the middle of 50 remarked, that in even of the less vig- proportionally, most particulars appeared s the writer, "twenty lay 23 gallons and 3 inds have been made gallons of sap." It IS was required for a in one day from each when two pipes are the sap escapes only vidod by the auger, oring parts ? I am [day, in the profound idea suggested itself the preceding year, umn, equal in width appeared not to be nclusion, that these sap the succeeding for 30 years, wilh- ect in diameter pre- ar shifted ; besides, nearly to the state [eatest quantities in jState of New York, Ivania which lie ou SU(JAK MAIMj;. 107 the eastern and weslern branches of the Susquehannah ; west of the Moun- tains, in the country bordering on the rivers .Micghiiny, INFonongahela, and Ohio. The farmers, after reserving a sullicient store for their own con- sumption, soil the residue to the shopkeepers in the small towns of the neighborhood at 8 cents a })ound, by whom it is retailed at 11 cents. A great deal of sugar is also made in Upper Canada, on the Wabash, and near Michilimackinac. The Indians dispose of it to the commissioners of the North Western Company establishe.l at Montreal, for the use of the numerous agents who go out in their employ, in quest of fms, beyond Lake Superior. In Nova Scotia and the JJistiict of .Mniiie, ami on the liinhest mountains of Virginia and the Carolinas, where these trees are sullieiently common, the manufacture is less considerable, and probably si.v-sevenths of the inhabitants consume imported sugar. It has been slated, and doubtless correctly, that the northern parts of New York and Pennsylvania contain INIaples enough to supply the whole consumption of the United States. But the annual produce by no means answers to this patriotic calculation. The trees grow upon excellent lands, which, by the influx of emigrants from the older settlements, and by the surprising increase of the population already established, are rapidly clear- ing; so that in less, perhaps, than half a century, the Maples will be con- fined to exposures too steep for cultivation, and will allbrd no resource, except to the proprietor on whose domain they grow. At this period also, the wood will probably produce a greater and more ready piofit than the sugar. It has been proposed to plant Sugar Maples in orchards or about the fields; but would it not be more certainly advantageous to multiply the Apple tree, which grows in soils too dry to sustain the vegetation of the Maple ? All that has been said on this subject must be considered as specuhative merely, since, in the Eastern States, where information is gen- erally diifused, no enterprises of this nature have been undertaken, by Avhich the importation of sugar might be diminished. Wild and domestic animals are inordinately fond of Maple juice, and break into enclosures to sate themselves with it. The details into which I have entered, concerning the Sugar Maple, furnish the means of estimating its importance, with reference both to its sap and to its wood. I have indicated the regions where it grows, and the soil in which it thrives ; and I feel authorized in seriously recommending it for propagation in the north of Europe. Its sap and its wood are supe- rior to those of the Norway Maple and of the Sycamore, and in the same countries where these two species abound in the forests, its success would be most complete, and its cultivation most profitable. ■•»• 108 ni.ACK SliGAR TUi:i:. PLATE XLII. A branch with leaves and atid/i nf tin: nulnntl .v/;c. J"i^. 1, d uninll lidg WithJIuit'LiS. [For later and disliiict rnnarks on tlic product of lliis trcp, see Emer- son's Trees and Slinibs of MassacIuiseUs, p. 4Si), Count Wintfcrsky is said to liave planted a great many of these trees on liis estates in Moravia, and to have made very good sugar from their sap when they had attained the age of 25 years. IJut in conscciuence of drawing sap every year, the trees became sickly, and soon died.] BLACK SUGAR THEE. Acer nigrum. A. fol'ds gulnqucpartifo-palmalts, sinuhus apcrfis, margi)ic Integra, snblus pubenccntibus, alroviridibus : JlorUms corymbosia z capsul'is turg'uU stibglobosis. In the Western States, and in the parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia Avhich lie between the Mountains and the Ohio, this species of Maple is designated by the name of Sugar Tree, and frequently by the more cha- racteristic denomination of Black Sugar Tree ; probably on account of the dark color of its leaves, in comparison with those of the true Sugar Maple, which sometimes grows with it. In the extensive country of Genesee, both species are indiscriminately called Rock Maple and Sugar Maple. This confusion seems to have arisen from the country's being settled prin- cipally by emigrants from the Eastern States, who finding the Black Sugar Tree applicable to the same uses with tlie other, and equally productive of sugar, have given it the same name. The two species have also been con- founded by Botanists, in describing the vegetable productions of America. Toward the north, I first observed the Black Sugar Tree, near Windsor in Vermont, on the Connecticut river. But from its inferior size, and its scarceness, it may be inferred that it belongs to a more southern climate. Accordingly, a few degrees lower, it forms a large part of the forests of Genesee, and covers the immense valleys through which flow the great rivers : f-: . J'h. 1, A small twis t of tills tren, soe Eincr- . Count Wint^crsky is lii.s estates ill Moravia, vlicii they had attained •ijig sap every year, the nihus apartis, margbic i cori/mbosis : capsulis ?ylvania and Virginia I species oi' Maple is itly by the more cha- bly on account of the the true Sugar Maple, country of Genesee, le and Sugar Maple. 's being settled prin- Jing the Black Sugar equally productive of iS have also been con- ductions of America, Tree, near Windsor inferior size, and its )re southern climate, lart of the forests of a flow the great rivers 1 I :!i /./'■■•;■///,• iwi.r '.•:,) --.Jr l)l;\( U Siioai' .\|;i|)lc . /.. / A'/,// I'" I N n VV A Y MAP I. Fv 109 4 of the West. Ill tliese bottoms, it is one of the most common and one of the loftiest trees. The leaves are 4 or 5 inches lon'j;, and oxhihit, in every respect, nearly the same conforniation as tiinsc of IIk; true SiiL;;ir Miiple, 'I'liey (liUVr from them, priuci[).il!y, in l)ciiig of a deeper ;j;reeti and a tiiicktr texture, and in liavinij more open sinuses: (liey arc also xlij^litly do\V)iy, which is most sen- sibly perceptible on the main rib. The (lowers, like tliose of tlu- Sii^nr ^^aple, are snspended by loni;, (lex- ible peduncles : the seeds, also, are similar, and are ripe about the same time, that is, about the 1st of October. The wood is much like that of the other species, but it is coarser grained and less brilliant when polished. It i.j little used, because, wherever it abounds, otlier trees are tbund, such as the Oak, th<; Walnut, the Cherry Tree, and the Mulberry, wliicb are more esteemtid lor building and for cabinet-making. It is, however, preferred for tlie frames of Windsor chairs, and is considered, after the Hickories, as tlie best fuel. Its most important use is for making sugar of which it annually yields a vast amount in the neighborhood of Pittsburg. When the Black Sugar Tree stands alone, it naturally assumes a regular and agreeable shape. Its foliage, of a darker tint and more tufted than that of the other Maples, renders it proper for forming avenues, and for adorning parks and gardens ; in short, for every situation where thick shade is desired, as a shelter from the sun. PLATK XLIIE. ^'I brunch with u laif und acids of the nalural size. NORWAY MAPLE. Acer platanoides. A. foliis qtnnque-Iobis, acuminatis, utrinque gJahris, lobis dentatis ; corymbia ercclis, pedunculis glabris. Tins species of Maple is found in the same parts of Europe with the Sycamore, but it is most multiplied in Sweden and Norway ; whence it has received the name of Norway Maple. Like the Sycamore, it attains a lofty height, and a diameter of several ! f . 110 N R VV A Y MAP L E. feet, and ranks among the largest trees of tlie north of Europe. Its leaves are broad, of a fine tcvtiiro, and of a liglit green color ; in shape, they re- semble those of the Black Sugar tree and the sugar Maple. They arc not whitish underneath like those of the Sugar Maple, and when the petiole is broken a milky lluid distils from it, which does not take place in the Ame- rican species. Tiie ilowcrs of (he Xorway Maple arc small, yellowish, and suspended by pretly long peduncles. The seeds grow in two capsules, which are uni- ted at the base, compressed, and garnished with large divergent, membra- nous wings. They are ripe in the month of September. In the winter, when the Norway Maple and the Sycamore are stripped of their leaves, they may still be distinguished by their buds. On the Syca- more, the last year's shoots are larger than on the Norway Maple, and the buds are of a yellowish color, while those of the other species are of a red- dish complexion, and are united in groups of three. On the two species of American Sugar Maple, the shoots are still more tapering and slender, and the buds arc nearly black. The wood of the Norway ]\Iai)le is very white and very fine grained : it is easily wrought, and is employed for nearly the same purposes with that of the Sycamore. Among cabinet-makers in Germany, such trees are in request as present agreeable accidental variations in the direction of the fibre, similar to the Curled Maple and the IJird's-eye Maple. The rapid and beautiful vegetation of the Norway Maple in soils inferior to such as are recpnrcd by the Sycamore, causes it to be extensively planted in Europe for the endjoHisluaent of gardens; for which purpose trees are preferred that develope (lieir foliage early, and shed it late, and that aflbrd through the intemperate season a refreshing shade ; all which advantages are united in the Norway JNlaple. PLATE XLIV. J'lg. 1, ^^t Iciif of huff the nulurul niz", Jl need of the natuml size. [ This Is unc[uestionably one of the best orimmental trees ; its beautifully formed head, and the density of its shade, should give it a preference over most of the Maples for the landscape gardener. Scarcely too much can be said in its praise.] uropc. Its leaves ill shape, they re- ple. They are not when tlic petiole is e place in the Ame- sh, and suspended jles, which are uni- livergont, meuibra- lore are stripped of ds. On the Syca- vay Maple, and the ipecies are of a red- Jn the two species lering and slender, very fine grained : lame purposes with lany, such trees are the direction of the [aple. aple in soils inferior extensively planted 1 purpose trees are late, and that afford [ which advanlaijes ' the nalurul nizc. 'rees ; its beautifully ; it a preference over ely too much can be I :i V ^ \ [ 111 J SY CAM 0111': TJlKJv Acer rsEUDO-PLATANrs. A. fuliis (pihitjur lolils^ iii.rr/iiolifrr denlulh sub/its g/cuctscriilihU'i ; Jlorilnis ■svl/fpiciiliv^ j)cndulis. Tins beautiful tree is difTused ov-r all llic centre of iMiropc, and abounds especially in Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland. It thrives most luxuriantly in moist and fertile soils, and when expanded to its full dimensions, it is GO or 70 feet in height, and 2 or 3 feet in diameter. Its head is spacious, and its foliage thick. On old trees, the bark of the trunk is deeply furrowed ; on such as are less thanG inches in diameter, it is perfectly smooth. The leaves of the Sycamore are opposite wilh long petioles, large, and distinctly divided into five unequal lobes ; they are of a dark green above, and whi- tish underneath. In the heat of midsummer, they are covered with a very sweet viscid substance, which is gathered with avidity by bees. The flowers appear towards the end of April ; they are small, greenish, and grouped into pendulous clusters from 3 to 4 inches in length. The seed is in capsules about an inch in length, united at the base and terminated by a membranous wing. When the Sycamore is fully grown, its wood is fine grained and suscep- tible of a brilliant polish. In those parts of Europe where it is most com- mon, it is in demand with turners for making wooden ware. It is used for making violins, and when its grain is undulated, for ornamenting forte- pianos. By the interesting experiments of My. Hartig, Grand Master of the forests of Prussia, on the comparative value of dillerent species of wood as combustibles, the Sycamore was found to adbrd more heat than any other wood of the north of Europe. Sugar has been made from the Sycamore, in Bohemia and Hungary. Though the attempt has completely succeeded, it appears certain that the sugar is yielded in a smaller proportion than by the Sugar Maple. In France and England, the Sycamore is a rare tree in the fi)rests, but it is multiplied in pleasure grounds, on account of its rapid growth, the early development of its foliage in the spring, and the fine shade which it alfords through the summer. It has been observed in England that the foliage of this tree is less in- jured than that of others, by the saline vapors wafted from the sea ; hence it is chosen for situations exposed to these winds. The justness of the observation I have never had an opportunity of examining. The Sycamore appears to me to possess no one superior property, which il 112 MOOSE WOOD. entitles it to preference in the United States, over tlie Sugar Maple and the Black Sugar Tree. PLATE X LI V. Fig. 2, -i Ifdf of half the natural size, Jl seal nf the natural size, [ Its growth is very rapid, particularly when it is in a deep, free, rich soil, and in a mild climate. It arrives at full growth in 50 or CO years. In marshy soil, or dry sand, the tree never attains a great size. " There is a very interesting tree of this species standing at the entrance of the village of Trons, in the Orisons, the cradle of liberty in the Ilhceti- an Alps. Under the once spreading branches of this now hollow and cloven trunk, the Gray League, was solemnly ratified in 1424. Upon the supposi- tion that it was only a century old when the meeting, to which its celebrity is owing, took place, and a younger tree would hardly have been selected for the purpose, it has now attained the age of 520 years and maybe much older." Dr, Grcij^ in N. American. Rev. July 1844.] MOOSE WOOD. Acer striatum. Affoliis infcrm rotundafis, supcrne acitminato-tricttspicli' bus, argute scrratis : racemis simpUcibus, pendenlibus, A. Dcmisylvanicum. L. In the Province of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, in the District of Maine, and in the States of Vermont and New Hampshire, this Maple is known only by the name of Moose VVood : in New Jersey and Pennsyl- vania, it is called Striped Maple. This last denomination, which is pre- ferable as being descriptive, I have thought proper to reject, because it is in use only in a part of the United States where the tree is rare, and is r the Sugar Maple and tlie ■Pil nf ihe na/tmil nlzc. 1 in a deep, free, rich soil, in 50 or 60 years. In ?reat size. standing at the entrance '■ of liberty in the Rhoiti- s now hollow and cloven 424. Upon the supposi- ig, to which its celebrity idly have been selected ' years and may be much 44.] acinninalo-lricttsjndi. ndeniibus. Dcmisylvanicum. L. ck, in the District of pshire, this Maple is Jeisey and I'ennsyl- lation, which is pre- reject, because it is ! tree is rare, and is MOOSK WOOD. 113 wholly unknown, in those parts in which it abounds. The name of Moose Wood wns givon it l)y the first scltlcis, from ohscrvin;^ that the Moose, an animal now raru in this region, .snLisisted during the lalter part of winter and the hcginning of Spring, upon its young twigs. Tliis tree makes its first ai)pearnnce mar J.ake St. John, in the 47th do pree of latitude, that is to say, a little fuilher north than tlie preceding spe- cies. In Nova Scotia and the District of Maine, where I iiave most par- ticularly observed il, it fills the turesls. Toward tiie Hudson it becomes more rare, and beyond this boundary, is confined to the mountainous tracts of the AUeghanies, on which it is found, in cold and shaded exposures, along the whole range to its termination in (Jeorgia. In the District of Maine 1 have always found the Moose Wood most vigorous in mixt forests, or what are called Mixture htvds ; where the woods are composed of the Sugar Maple, the Beech, the White IVirch, the Yellow Birch, and the Ilcndock Spruce. In these forests, it constitutes a great part of the under growth ; for its ordinary height is less than 10 feet, though 1 have found individual trees of more than twice this stature. The trunk and branches of the Moose Wood are clad in a smooth green bark, longitudinally marked with black stripes, by which it is easily dis- tinguishable, at all seasons of the year. This is one of the earliest trees of North America, whose vegetation announces the approach of the genial season. Its buds and leaves, when beginning to unfold, are rose colored, and have a pleasing elFect ; but this hue soon changes to green. On luxuriant trees, the leaves are of a pretty thick texture, and finely serrate. They are 4 or 5 inches broad, rounded at the base, and divided into 3 deep acute lobes. Tiie llowtrs are of a greenish cast, and grouped on long, pendulous peduncles. The frui., which in the main resembles that of the other Maples, is remarkiible for a small cavity on one side of the capsules : it is produced in abundance, and is ripe about the end of Septendjer. The inferior size of the Moose Wood forbids its use in any kind of car- pentry, but as it is white and fine grained, the cabinet-makers of Hali- fax employ it instead of the Holly, which does not grow in so northern a climate, for forming the white lines with which they inlay Mahogany. Its principal advantage consists in furnishing the inhabitants, at the close of winter, when their forage is exhausted, a resource for sustaining their cattle, till the advancing season has renewed the herbage. As soon as the buds begin to swell, the famished horses and neat cattle arc turned loose into the woods, to browse on the young shoots, which they crop with avidity. Poor as this resource may appear, it is not wholly iimde- quate, since the twigs are tender, and fidl of saccharine juice. A similar practice prevails, also, in the new settlements of the West. This species of Maple has been long cultivated in Europe in parks and 15 114 BOX ri.Dnn on asii-lkavkd maplr. extensive gardens. It is in rctiucst as one of the cnitiest trees to feel llic npproadi of spring, hut more particularly on account of the pleasing edict of the wliito veins, whicli variegate its trunk. In the primitive forests, where it grows beneath n canopy of impervious shade, these veins arc black : the change of color seems owing to its being planted in drier soils, more open to the sun. Most of the trees of this species which now grow in Euiopc, liavo been grafted on the lo|>y Sycamore, whose vigor is felt by the Moose Wood, and expands it to four times its natural dimensions. PLATE XLV. ^branch with fruit of the natural aizr. Fig. 1, Bark of a tree in the forests of North America. Fig. 2, Bark of a tree cultivated on dry and open ground. [From the great beauty of its hark, this tree deserves a place in every collection. The delicate rose color of the buds and leaves on opening, and the elegance of the ample foliage afterwards, the graceful pendulous ra- ficmes of flowers, succeeded by large, showy keys, not unlike a cluster of insects, will also recommend it.] BOX ELDER, O R ASH LEAVED MAPLE. Acer neoundo. A. foliis pinnatis fernatisve, inxqualiter serratis : paribus dio'icis. In the country west of the Alleghanies, where this tree is common, it is called Box Elder; east of the Mountains it is more rare, and having been less attentively observed, it has received no specific name. Some persons, however, distinguish it by that of Ash-leaved Maple, which is a perfectly >_.. ^AVKD MAPLE. tlie cniliest trees to fbel llic ^cniititoftlie plciisinrr cirrct 'ii tlic piiiiiitivf Ibrcsts, 'lis sliade, these veins arc 'I'in,!,' planted in drier soils, !•< species which now >,mow auiorc, whose vif,'or is felt aes its natural dimensions. r- 1. Bark of a tree in the ■ cultivated on dry and open leserves a place in every nd leaves on openinjr, and e graceful pendulous ra- s, not unlike a cluster of E. ualiter serralis : Jloribua s tree is common, it is rare, and having been name. Some persons, e, which is a perfectly "'■^H* 1^ 1 //./. .a 3 A,....,/ ,t.t U()\ I'.ldcr (■../■,,./.<■.,.'(,■ ^i ■ii I ! :i A : ! Ci^ B(3X ELDER OU ASH LEAVED l\r A P L E. 115 appropriate denomination : I have cliosen the other, though ahsolutely insignificant of any characteristic property of the tree, because it is sanc- tioned by general use. The Frencli of Illinois call it Eruhle ii Gigiiia-es. The leaves of the Box Elder are opposite, and are from 6 to 15 inches long, according to the vigor of the tree, and] the moisture of the soil in which it grows. Each leaf is composed of two pair of leaflets with an odd one. The leaves are petiolated, oval-acuminate, and sharply toothed : toward fall, the common petiole is of a deep red. The male and female flowers are borne on dill'erent trees, and are supported by slender, pendul- ous peduncles, 6 or 7 inches in length. Of all the Maples of the United States, this species ventures least into northern latitudes, for in the Atlantic States, it is first seen on the banks of the Delaware, in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, and even there it is rare. In the maritime parts of the Southern States, also, it is far from being a common tree ; which is less attributable to the lieat of the summer, than to the marshy nature of the soil on the borders of the rivers. West of the Mountains, on the contrary, it is extremely multiplied, and instead of being confined, as in the upper parts of Virginia and of the Carolinas, to the river sides, it grows in the woods, with the Locust, Wild Cherry, and Coffee-Tree. But in the bottoms which skirt the rivers, where the soil is deep, fertile, constantly moist, and often inundated, this tree is most abundant, and most fully expanded. I^ven here, it can be considered only as a tree of secondary size: the largest Box Elders that I have seen were not more than 50 feet in height, and 20 inches in diameter, and trees of these dimensions are found only in Tennessee and in the back parts of Georgia, which lie far to the south. In Kentucky, they are of only half this height. Though growing in thick forests, the Box Elder expands into a head like that of the Apple tree. I have remarked this form, particularly, on the banks of the Ohio, where I have also observed that the trunk bulges into knots at unequal distances, and is often decayed at the heart, A fine row of Box Elders in the botanical garden of Paris, along the Rue de Bufon, affords a sufficiently just idea of their appearance in the forests, on the rivers Monongahela and Ohio. It may be concluded from what has been said, that to attain its full proportions, this tree requires a climate tliree or four degrees milder than that of Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Paris. The Box Elder branches at a small height. The bark of its trunk is brown, and I have remarked a disagreeable odor in the cellular tissue. The proportion of the sap to the heart is large, except in very old trees ; in these the heart is variegated with rose colored and bluish veins. Some cabinet-makers in the Western Country employ it to ornament furniture made of Mahogany or Wild Cherry Tree. The wood is of a fine and close grain, and is said to split with difficulty : but as it soon decays when I i tl liiJ ! I 116 M O U N T A I N iM A P T, E , exposed to the air, it is little used. It has been erroneously asserted that sugar is made from the sap of this species. More than fifty years since, the Bn\ Khlcr was introduced into France by Admiral La GallissonuMc. Subseijuently, it has spread into Germany and England, where it is in great recpicst for adorning pleasure grounds, on account of the rapidity of its growth, and the beauty of its foliage, whose bright green forms an agreable contrast with the surrounding trees. Its yo.ing branches, of a lively green, contribute to the favor in which it is held, and serve to distinguish it in the winter, when its leaves are fallen. The utility of its wood, I believe, has of late been exaggerated ; both Europe and America possess many trees superior in strength as well as in size. It appears certain, however, that, growing in copses, and cut every three or four years, it would afford a prolitable product in its sprouts, which are very numerous, and which, during the first years, shoot with astonish- ing rapidity. The success of this experiment will be more certain if it is made on groimds constantly moist and cool : though the Box Elder may seem, for a few years, to prosper in dry and meager soils, it sooner or later pines and perishes. Of this I became convinced in conversing with seve- ral proprietors, in the environs of Paris, who, after some recent publications on this tree, had made an unsuccessful attempt to derive profit from their poor lands, by planting them with the Box Elder. PLATE XLVI. ^ branch icilh leaves and seedn of the natural size. MOUNTAIN MAPLE. Acer montanum. A. fotUs fri-suhquinqitelobis, ariiminaliSf dentalis, rugosis : raceinis spiciformibus, suberectis, petalis linearibus. This species is more abundant in Canada, Nova Scotia, and along the whole range of the Alleghany Mountains, than in any other part of North America. It is called Mountain Maple and Low Maple. Though the last of these names indicates the stature of the tree, I have retained the P T. E . en erroneously asserted that >vas introduced into France It has spread into Germany orning pleasure grounds, on beauty of its foliage, whose the surrounding trees. Its to the favor in which it is when its leaves are fallen, e been exaggerated; both or in strength as well as in ig in copses, and cut every loduct in its sprouts, which years, shoot with astonish- ill be more certain if it is lough the Box Elder may ger soils, it sooner or later 1 in conversing with seve- !r some recent publications o derive profit from their ' natural size. E. nnafts, denlatis, rugosis : f linearibus. a Scotia, and along the iny other part of North ^v Maple. Though the ee, I have retained the I \ : /' l\,x.ii piiir Moiinlain Mapio . //■(■/■ nionlitnitiii . 'j/'rii'/ itvtt^'- \^ \m 1 1 I hill MOUNTAIN MAPLE 117 first, which is more t^cncrally in use, and which is likewise iippropriate, as this Maple grows of proforenre on the dpclivitics of mountains exposed to the north, and in cool, moist, and sliady situations, on the abrupt and rocky banks of torrents and rivers. On the Mohawk, for instance, near the little falls, it abounds among the enormous rocks which lie scattered along its sides. The Mountain Maple is 6 or 8 feet in height, and it blooms even at a smaller elevation. It most frequently grows in the form of a shrub, with a single and straight stock. The leaves are large, opposite, and divided into 3 acute and indented lobes: they are slightly hairy at their unfolding, and when fully grown, they are uneven and of a dark green upon the up- per surface. The blossoms are small, of a greenish color, and produced in somi-erect spikes from 2 to 4 inches in length. The seeds, which are smaller than those of any other American Maple, are fixed upon slender, pendulous footstalks : they are reddish at maturity, and each of them is surmounted by a membranous wing, and has a small cavity upon one side. The Mountain Maple is too small to be profitably cultivated for its wood, and as its ilowers, its roots, and its bark are destitute of any very sensible odor, it promises no resources to medicine. It is found in the gardens of the curious, rather to complete the series of species, than for any remark- able property of its foliage or of its flowers. This species is commonly grafted upon the Sycamore, and, like the Moose wood, it is thus augmented to twice its natural dimensions. This surprising development evinces how great are the advantages which may be derived from this process and from continued cultivation, in improving inferior vegetables. PLATE XLVII. A branch tvith the leaves andjioioers of their natural size. Fig. 1, A bunch of seeds of the natural size. [According to Emerson the Mountain Maple somc^'^riCs attains the height of twenty-four feet ; the leaves assume, towards autumn, various rich shades of red, with the seeds yellowish, and in this state it has considerable beauty.] [ 11« 1 DOGWOOD. Tctrandria inonogynia, Linn. Caprifolia, Jusi, M I I 'I ! CoRN'tis FLORIDA. C. folUs ovulibvs, actiiiiinatis siibtits aVncantihis : Jhribus sesailitrr copilalis ; involiicro maxima ^foliulis iipice deforml quasi oliconla- tin : fruclibun ovatb, rubris. Among the eight species of Dogwood which have been observed in North Americn, this alone is entitled by its size to be classed with the forest trees. It is the most interesting, too, for the value of its wood, the properties of its bark, and the beauty of its (lowers. In the United States at large, it is known by the name of Dogwood, and in Connecticut it is also called Box Wood. The Dogwood is first seen in Massachusetts, between the 42d and 43d degrees of latitude, and in proceeding .outhward, it is met with uninter- ruptedly throughout the Eastern and Western States, and the two Floridas, to the banks of the Mississippi. Over this vast extent of country, it is one of the most common trees, and it abounds particularly in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, wherever the soil is moist, gravelly, and somewhat uneven ; further south, in the Carolinas, Georgia, and the Floridas, it is found only on the borders of swamps, and never in the pine barrens, where the soil is too dry and sandy to sustain its vegetation. In the most fertile districts of Kentucky and West Tennessee, it does not appear in the forests, excopt where the soil is gravelly and of a middling quality. The Dogwood sometimes reaches 30 or 35 feet in height, and 9 or 10 inches in diameter; but it does not generally exceed the height of 18 or 20 feet, and the diameter of 4 or 5 inches. The trunk is strong, and is covered with a blackish bark, chapped into small portions, which are often in the shape of squares more or less exact. The branches are proportion- ally less numerous than on other trees, and are regularly disposed nearly in the form of crosses. The young twigs are observed to incline upwards in a semicircular direction. The leaves are opposite, about 3 inches in length, oval, of a d.irk green above, and whitish beneath ; the upper surface is very distinctly sulcated. Toward the close of summer, they are often marked with black spots, and at the approach of winter they change to a dull red. In New York and New Jersey, the flowers are fully blown about the nogynia, Li.v.v. Caprirolla, Juss. sKb/hs alhicantihis : Jloribua upice ileformi ;(l alliiiily (o llm Cinchona \v\\\c]\ yields tlm Pcriiviiin hark, my father discerned in llie (leorgia D.irk Millicieiit dilli-rences to disliiiL^uish it as a new f;eiiii.s. In testimony of his gratitude and respect, he conse- crated it to Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, an enlightened patron oi'the arts and sciences, from whom my father and myself, diiring our residence in South Carolina, received multiplied proofs of benevolence and esteem. The Georgia JJark is a low tree, dividing itself into numerous branches, and rarely exceeding the height of 2j feet, and the diameter of 5 or 6 inches at the base. A cool and shady exposure appears the most favourable to its growth, lis leaves are opposite, 4 or 5 inches long, of a light green color, and downy undcrnealii, as arc also the shoots to which they arc attached. The flowers which are white with longitudinal rose colored stripes, are pretty large, and are collected in beautiful panicles at the extremity of the branches. Each ilower is accompatiied by a floral leaf, bordered with rose color near the upper edge. The capsules are round, compressed in the middle, and stored with a great number of small winged seeds. The wood of the Georgia Bark is soft, and unfit for use in the arts ; but its inner bark is extremely bitter, and appears to partake of the febrifuge virtues of the Ci)icIio)ia, for the inhabitants of the southern parts of Georgia employ it successfully in the intermittent fevers which, during the latter part of summer and the autumn, prevail in the Southern States. A hand- ful of the bark is boiled in a (piart of water till the litpiid is reduced one half, and the infusion is administered to the sick. From the properties of its bark, the Pinchnci/a has taken the name of Georgia Baric. It is to be wished that some intelligent physician would examine these properties with care, and indicate with accuracy the manner of employing this indi- genous remedy, and the ellects to be expected from it : the tree which produces it so nearly resembles the Peruvian vegetable, that some Botanists have included them in the same genus. PLATE XLIX. •^ branch with leaves and Jlowcrs of the natural size. Fig. 1, ^ seed-vessel. Fig. 2, .'? seed. m r I-.'-' ] rOKFKK TJIKK. Diiccia dccandria, Linn, Leguminoso). Ji'ss. Gymnocladus canadensis, ii, foliis bijnnnatis, amji/issimis, deciduls ; foliolis ovalihus, acnminatis. I'loribus racemoHis ; le^uminosis po/i/npermis. Uppku Canada beyond JNTontieal, nnd lliat part of Genesee which bor- ders on Lake Ontario and Lake Kiie, are tlie most northern countries which produce the CoU'ee Tree : but it is much less abundant iu these climates than in the States of Kentucky and Tennessee, and in the tract which is bounded by the rivers Ohio and Illinois, between the 35(11 and 40th degrees of latitude. 'J'he large dimensions which it exhibits in these regions, is attributable to the milder temperature of the seasons, and to the extreme fertility of the soil. The French of Canada call this tree Chicut; those of Illinois, Gros Fe- vier ; and the inhabitants of (he VW'stern States, Codec Tree. The presence of the Coflije Tree is an index of the richest lands ; on which it habitually grows in company with the Ulack Walnut, the Red Elm, the Poplar, the Blue Ash, the Honey Locust, and the Ilackbcrry. These trees it equals in height, but not in bulk, for a CoHee Tree 50 or GO feet liigh,does not generally exceed 12 or 15 inches in diameter. In summer, this tree, when fully grown, has a fine appearance : its straight trunk is often destitute of branches for 30 feet, and supports a summit not very widely spread, but of a regular shape and of tufted foliage : such at least is its form in primitive forests, where it is confined by the trees which grow around it. In the winter, when its leaves are fallen, the paucity of its branches and the size of the terminal ones, which are very large in comparison with those of other trees, give it a peculiar appearance somewhat resembling a dead tree. This is probably the reason of its being called Chic(,t, Stump tree, by the French Canadians. To this peculiar character is added another of the epidermis, which is extremely rough, and which detaches itself in small, hard, transverse strips, rolled backward at the ends, and projecting sufficiently to render the tree distinguishable at first sight. I have also remarked that the live bark is very bitter, so that a morsel no bigger than a grain of maize, chewed for some time, produces a violent irritation of the throat. The leaves are 3 feet long and 20 inches wide, on young a!id thriving trees: on old ones, they are not more than half as large. These leaves INN. LeguminostD. Juss. nmis, decidws ; foUolis 'nosispofij.spcrmis. f Genesee wliich bor- 1st northern countries 5s abundant in these !see, and in the tract )et\veen l!io 3r)th and ch it exhibits in these ic seasons, and to tlie ; of Illinois, Gros Fc- e Tree. he richest lands ; on :k Walnut, the Red and the Ilackbcrry. Co/ree Tree 50 or GO 1 diameter, fine appearance : its eet, and su])ports a ind of tufted Ibliaire: : is confined by the eaves are fallen, the les, which are very peculiar appearance e reason of its being To this peculiar is extremely rough, ps, rolled backward J distinguishable at very bitter, so that 3me time, produces young alid thriving go. These loaves :ili 1 V in ' 1 I'-l BeA,;i M. (>l//tl/lt\ >/i/i///,<- l t; u V V F, i: r u v. \:. 193 J iirc (Iniil)ly coinpoimd, with ovni-aciiminnte Icnflcts IVoin 1 fn 2 inclies long. I'lu; lfiillt:ls art! ol'ii tliill ^locii, anil iti tlu- tall tin; prtiitle is ota violot color. Tliu tloHee Trt'L' hi'lotij^s to tlic class Ditrciu of Miitupiis, whicli includes all \t'i;('lal)les whose male and ('cinali' llowcrs aro boino hy dilliTent plants; in which case those oidy that boar the female llowcrs produce IViiil: to ed'ect the t'couiidalion, it is necessary that there should bu male plants growing near thcni. The llowcrs and the fruit are lar^c, bowed pods, of a reddish brown color, and of a pulpy consistency within. They contain .several large, gray seeds, whidi are extremely hard. The French of Upper Louisiana call them GonrgiuifS. The name of CoU'ee Tree was given to lliis vegetable by the early emi- grants to Kentucky and Tennessee, who lioped to tind in its seeds a substi- tute for coU'ee : but the small number of persons who made the expei iment abandoned it, as soon as it became easy to obtain from the sea ports the coU'ee of the West Indies. The wood of the CoU'ee Tree is very compact and of a rosy liuc. The fineness and closeness of its grain fit it for cabinet-making, and its strength retiders it proper for building. Like the Locust, it has the valuable pro- perty of rapidly converting its sap into perfect wood, so that a trunk (> inches in diameter has only G lines of sap, and may be employed almost entire. These qualities recommend it for propagation in the forests of the north and of the centre of Europe. The CoU'ee Tree was sent to Franco morn than fifty years since. It thrives in the environs of Paris, where there are trees that exceed 40 feet in lieight ; but it does not yield fruit, aiu^ is multiplied only by shoots ob- tained by digging trenches round the old trees. The divided roots produce shoots 3 or 4 feet long the iirst year. The young trees are sought on account of their beautiful foliage, for the embellishment of parks and pic- turesque gardens. PLATE L. ^1 brunch with Jlowcrs of the natural size. Fig. 1, JI pod of the natural size. Fig. 2, Jl seed of the natural size. [The Coffee tree thrives, as far north as Massachusetts. It requires a rich, deep, free soil, and when isolated, spreads over a large space, and is extremely beautiful.] K N D OF VOL. I.