140 N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y of JVQRlWAT.
Birk, birch, | grows fin mofl parts, and in - the greaftefh plenty.
It is of two kinds, the common birch» and a leder fort with frngll
thick leaves,. Birch is madeufeof here for.yariou^pnrpofes *.
I t i^erahy. ufedcfoi fod jhaafc, ^dfjs'
catrjed to; the •great' tö^ s ^fenjthat ■ufo, And rfömetimêsr expected
abroad from thence. But the bark is of greater utility,; and that
in two refpeéts. The extreme white bark, which <is diftirfgdhhed
by the particular pame of JSfevdr, .or^indj^ianddfcip&tmnes ^ows
agpk1 upon, the fame tree; from which it hath b<£p pealed-off*
provided tips was done carefully, is -fo fpt and r firm in its parts,
it will dcape putrefaftion for many years, even, ip thftdarop-
. ^ J É ^ b Jtó^gQ ^fiouqt pCilhft qua,ktyj ty^ipgallnt
fpreada.it; over ^the ,fir planks with' which 1 his hqufe is covered,
ar«i upon this. Never hd;hys gpeen fword or turf tp . a confiderable
thieknefifbr the fake of warmth, * T% inner, or tfie dark, brown
bark, is applied» like thy. bark of oaks», tq teaming of fkins and
hides, and . even fifhing-nets and fails^ wjuch it tenders more
durable,.. The Scotch Hkewife jufp ft • for tannipg'thcif, hides, and
Pay right Danifh-flnUings for thirty-fix pound y^eidht; of it. Be-
fides all this, thofe who like it,'.<haw a wholfqm • and plegiant
j% P from the trunk of this tree, as in the yaftern countries the
fame is pradtifod with p^lm^ees. .They, bore a hole in. the
trunk f , and the juice djftiljs into a fkfk hanging under it, with-
°nt the.leaft damage tod«: pr^ided^' hole is . immediately
hy diiyihg-^in^ a Woockp pegi-
Boeg, beech, ft rather fence -here,
Laumg an'd Jarlfberg. And it dpes nót apppr, th^ teedh tWojys
fpontaneoufiy at a^eftain
Ajtt obferyation of, Linnsus, in the tranfaétions (óf the:> S^ëifh
academy For the year vo£/iJ/’g? sip ® j $ mtgryw in
ï f f c P ! 1 1 Ö %™gs .ftom the. roup « f jbm birch-trees,l
\ fed.'“ H F * * “ W M Ê Ê W r ’ being'hard, f i r m l y aé'd fpotöa, arid'was
thought beaujuful,- when heretofore tlie drinkii^gi mcigs werej'mad&of.k. ■ ■ . _
r ^ r'rB^ChWald’ P his fpfecimen Botanicun,,^,. ,51., fays o f tjiisbirch-juice. “ in
fcorbuto, ifteroi podagra, nephn£«fe, calaila; aÉ'cnnafs’aliis chrbnicis morbid tam-
reis, tam pnefervauvum quam curativum fmgulare eft remedjum.-’ A certaia friend
affures me from his own experience, that from the buds of birch, gathered juft when
W É ê& M t iS éW . wfinov^aiid yi^guspfap„tand,diftilled with birch, water,,or for
wa“ I f P i ow^gpqd. water^tnay be. drawn a, milky juiqe, -which when it Aifefides-
and clarifies, leaves in the bottom arid on the?ides of thegiaft, a pret^thick b l l E
be!ng.duv %xu:ated is in point of confiftence,.. colour, fmdl and tafte, exaftlv'
like tho. frequently counterfeited baifam oFMecca. * • 1
Sweden
N A T U R A L H I R T O R ¥ of ?NO R WAY.
Sweden beyond Raft and Weft Gothland, cOqfequently not very
far north.
-% Eeg, oak, the ftrongeft and.moft durable of all trees, was heretofore
in great abundance in tliis diocefe of Bergen, as well as
elfewhere, but is of late become fcarce. The beft oak-forefts
a^e in the diocefe of Chriftianfand, particularly in thelordfhip of
Nedene, from whence great quantities are every year carried to
Arendal and Chriftiandiand, fo^- fhip-huilding, and many fhips
are loaded with itt eyery year for Hollandj lhc’ the exportation be
prohibited. Npjway-oak excels that of all other countries, ex-
jfPf • Danifh, which is preferr«! to -it; A 4 eco<aion of oak-
Ufed-by the peafants ;in Norway, asf^.ciir^ fqr
the g o u tV rheumatifm, by dipping a cloth in the deco^ion,
aad applying, k warm to the part affeaed. .
B f t i which is likewife called oldca: and oo.i> the alder-tre^ is
qf.two.kinds^bh the roedoor, or red aldcr,.^s is the moft com-
mon, and ^ riipinewhat rongh; and Svartoor,
Hack a%r? whofp.%e&afe finooth;and fhining;' the latter grows
iitfef/. ^ matfhes and other fwampy grounds. The twfgs of ft
.are judged wholfom fbod for the fheep in fprmg, as it expels the
is aPtjtp fie in their bodies, and to caufe a kind of
dropfy The bark is mfedTor a black dye. If it happens to Ihow
alter this tree has put out fts leaves, then the leaves turn brown,
dry and wither, together with the trunk, which is occafioned by
wofms, which arcfaid to be in tl^ foow, and
W m M » ttee* But if it be cut down immediately, the root
will, moot again.
Enebser^tree,.(which is hde commonly called fprake, and in
cfthet;parts of the country, brifk and brufe) the juniper-tree, grows
m abundance almoft every where, and by the fpreading of its
fences to cover and cherifh the young .
.flioots-of .firs_ and other trees, but at the fame time kills the graft.
The body of this tree, which feldom exceeds fix or ftven ells in
length *, is ufed for poles and hedge-ftakes, as aho for paling, .ft
and,diffiria.of Senien
. hiring
141