CHAP. CVII.

platana'ce.®. fla'tanus.

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oil, and then highly polished, resembles the wood of the walnut. In Britain,as far as we know, the wood of the Oriental plane has scarcely been appliedto any purpose either useful or ornamental; though for both it may beclassed, as Marshall suggests, with that of the A'cer Pseudo-Platanus; or,according to some French authors, with that of the beech or the hornbeam.By the Persians, and by the Greeks and Romans, as we have already seen,the tree, in a growing state, was greatly esteemed for its shade, and was plantednear houses, in open groves, avenues, and rows, for that purpose. Plinyaffirms that there is no tree whatsoever that defends us so well from the heatof the sun in summer, or that admits it more kindly in winter. Both pro-perties result from the large size of its leaves: in summer, these presenthorizontal imbricated masses, which, while they are favourable to the passageof the breeze, yet exclude both the sun and the rain; while, as the distance atwhich the branches and twigs of trees are from one another, is always pro-portionate to the size of the leaves, hence the tree, in winter, is more thanusually open to the sun’s rays. As an ornamental tree, no one, which attains solarge a size, has a finer appearance, standing singly, or in small groups, upona lawn, where there is room to allow its lower branches, which stretch them-selves horizontally to a considerable distance, gracefully to bend towards theground, and turn up at their extremities. The peculiar characteristic of thetree, indeed, is the combination which it presents of majesty and gracefulness;an expression which is produced by the massive, and yet open and variedcharacter of its head, the bending of its branches, and their feathering tothe ground. In this respect, it is greatly superior to the lime tree, whichcomes nearest to it in the general character of the head; but which formsa much more compact and lumpish mass of foliage in summer, and, in winter,is so crowded with branches and spray, as to prevent, in a great measure, thesun from penetrating through them. The head of the plane tree, during sun-shine, often abounds in what painters call flickering lights; the consequenceof the branches of the head separating themselves into what may be called hori-zontal undulating strata, or, as it is called in artistical phraseology, tufting,easily put in motion by the wind, and through openings in which the rays of thesun penetrate, and strike on the foliage below. The tree is by no means sosuitable for an extensive park, or for imitations of forest scenery, as mostothers; but, from its mild and gentle expression, its usefulness for shadein summer, and for admitting the sun in winter, it is peculiarly adapted forpleasure-grounds, and, where there is room, for planting near houses and build-ings. For the latter purpose, it is particularly well adapted even in winter,from the colour of the bark of the trunk, which has a greyish white tint, notunlike the colour of some kinds of freestone. The colour of the foliage,in dry soil, is also of a dull greyish green ; which, receiving the light in nume-rous horizontal tuftings, readily harmonises with the colour of stone walls. Itappears, also, not to be much injured by smoke, since there are trees of it ofconsiderable size in the very heart of London : one, for example, in Cheapside.

Soil, Situation, Propagation, Sfc. A light deep free soil, moist, but not wetat bottom, is that on which the Oriental plane tree thrives best; and the situ-ation should be sheltered, but, at the same time, not shaded or crowded byother trees. It will scarcely grow in strong clays, and on elevated exposedplaces; nor will it thrive in places where the lime tree does not prosper.The plane tree may be propagated by seeds, layers, or cuttings. The seedsshould be gathered in October or November; and, the balls being broken by thehand, or by threshing with a flail, the seeds may be separated from their husks,and cleaned by the usual processes, and either sown immediately, or mixedwith sand, or fine sandy soil, and preserved in a place secure from frost tillFebruary or March. The seeds may also be kept in the balls, or catkins,till spring; either by allowing them to hang on the tree, or by gathering themin autumn, and spreading them out in a dry loft. The general practice is tosow the seeds in autumn, or as soon as gathered, or received from the Con-tinent ; choosing a moist rich soil, and a shady situation, and covering them