U; ,
begins to form a head, and in ten years will attain the height of 20 ft
Ihis head will continue increasing slowly, though the tree seldom grows much
higher, for the greater part of a century ; after which, as it appears by the
oklest trees that we have observed or heard of in Scotland, the extremities
ol the branches begin to decay. The tree will not bear lopping, but grass
and other plants grow well under its shade. The wood, when dry, weighs
51 lb. 12 oz. per cubic foot. I t is homogeneous, fine-grained, hard, capable
of being stained any colour, and of taking a high polish ; and it is applied to
ai the various uses of P . A'ria and P. torminàlis, when it can be obtained of
adequate dimensions. In Britain, the tree forms excellent coppice wood
the shoots bemg well adapted for poles, and for making excellent hoops ; and
tiie bark being in demand by tanners. As it will grow in the most exposed
situations, and rapidly, when young, it forms an admirable nurse tree to the
oaK, and other slow-growing species ; and, being a tree of absolute habits •
t lat IS, incapable of being drawn up above a certain height by culture, it has
tins great advantage, that, after having done its duty as a nurse, instead of
growing up with the other trees, and choking them, it quietly submits to be
over-topped, and destroyed by the shade and drip of those which it was
planted to shelter and protect. I t may be mentioned, as somewhat singular
tliat the alpine laburnum, though naturally a much lower tree than the moun-
tain asff will, when drawn up in woods, attain twice the height of the latter
tree. The fruit of the mountain ash is greedily devoured by bircft ; and in
various parts of .the North of Europe, these berries are dried and ground into
tiom\ and used as a substitute for the flour made of wheat, in times of great
scarcity. Tn Livonia, Sweden, and Kamtschatka, the berries of the mountain
fil;
ash are eaten, when ripe, as fruit; and a very good spirit is distilled from
tliem. As an ornamental tree, the mountain ash is well adapted for small
pirdens ; and it is also deserving of a place in every plantation, where the
iiarboLinng of singing-birds is an object. In the grounds of suburban gardens in
the nmghboiirhood of the metropolis, the mountain ash forms almost the only
tree that makes a great display by means of its fruit ; for, though many species of
i7iatæ gus wou d be equally effective in this respect, they have not yet become
suihciently well known to the filanters of such gardens. One great advantage
of the mountain ash, in all gardens, is, that it never requires pruning and
never grows out of shape. The mountain ash will grow in any soil, and in the
most exposed situations, as it is found on the sea shore, and on the tops of
mountmns, in Forfarshire as high as 2500 ft. Plants are almost always raised
fiom seed yvlnch should be gathered as soon as it is ripe, to prevent its being
raten by ta-ds which are so fond of it as to attack it even before it is ripe!
When gathered, the fruit should be macerated in water till the seeds are separated
fl om the pulp, and they may be then sown immediately ; but, as they will
in that case, remain 18 months in the ground before coming up, the common
mode adopted by nurserymen is, to mix the berries with light sandy soil and
spread them out m a layer of 10 in. or 1 ft. in thickness, in the rotting gromd •
ftvermg the layer with 2 or 3 inches of sand or ashes, and allowing them t^
remain in that state for a year. They are then separated from the soil by
a ting, and sown in beds of light rich soil, being covered a quarter of an inch.
J p lh ? ? T ”® ’I - “e dropped nearer togeftr
cL tb Th " h ® “ P "'■fo sufficient
h tZ ? h» November to February, but not
later they wil come up in the June following, and, by the end of the year
the strongest plants will be 18m. high, and fit to separate from the othersfand
to plant out in nursery lines. duiciû, aim
Ï 30. P. a m e r i c a 'n a Dec. Tim American Service.
in A rt. E ric , Ist edit., vol. vl. ;
791. P- americàna.
Sip,,eccr.. eC,h..a..r...,, 0ó'C-.. Leaflets acute, almost equally serrated, glabrous, as is the
petiole. Pomes globose, of a purplish tawny colour. (Dec. Prod.) A
tree closely resembling the common mountain ash. Canada and New-
foim’dland, in woods. Height 15 ft. to 20 ft. Introduced in 1782. Flowers
white; May. Fruit bright scarlet; ripe in September. Decaying leaves
yellowish green. Naked young wood dark purplish.
It is, apparently, a more robust-growing tree than the European mountain
ash, with larger leaves, shining above, and smooth beneath ; but, in reality, it is
more tender. Though it has been many years in the country, we do not
know of a large, old, handsome specimen of it any where. I t is p ro p ag ftd
by grafting on the common mountain ash. On account of the brilliant colour
of the fruit, and the large size of the bunches in which it is produced, this
species well deserves a place in collections.
Y .31. P. m i c r o c a ' r p a Dec. The small-fruited Service.
Meniificalion. Dec. Prod,, 2. p. 636. ; Don’s Mill., 2. p. G48. . - tx /v .,,1 o
Synonymes. 56rbus aucupària « Michx. Fl.Bor. Amer. 2. p. 291. ; S. raicrantha Dim.Cowrs. ed. 2.
p. 464. ; S. microcàrpa Fh. Fl. Amer. Sept. 1. p. 341.
Engravings. Our,^g.2090. in p. 1107.
Spec. Char., SfC. Leaflets glabrous, acuminate, unequally incisely serrated ;
the teeth tipped with a bristle-like mucro. Petiole glabrous. Pome globose,
scarlet. (Dec. Prod.) A large shrub or low tree. North America,
Carolina to New York. Height 10 ft. to 12 ft. Introduced ?. Flowers
white ; May and June. Fruit scarlet, small ; ripe ?.
According to Pursh, this species is very distinct from P. americàna ; from