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ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

Pallas mentions having found it in Tauria. The exact date of its introduc-tion into Britain is unknown, but it must have been previous to 1502, as it ismentioned in Turner’s Herbal, published in that year; and we find that, inthe reign of Elizabeth, the floors of the houses of distinguished persons werestrewed with bay leaves. It was formerly considered medicinal, both leavesand berries being highly aromatic and stomachic; they are also astringentand carminative. An infusion of them was not only considered beneficial,when taken internally, but it was used for fomentations, &c. At present, theprincipal use of the tree is as an ornamental plant, though the leaves are stillemployed for flavouring custards, blancmange, &c. In mythology this tree iscelebrated as having once been Daphne, the daughter of Peneus, who, flyingfrom the embraces of Apollo, and reaching the banks of her parent stream, calledon the river god for aid, and was changed into a laurel. In the age ofRoman greatness, this tree was considered as the emblem of victory, and alsoof clemency. The victorious generals were crowned with it in their triumphalprocessions; every common soldier carried a sprig of it in his hand ; andeven the dispatches announcing a victory were wrapped up in, and ornamentedwith, leaves of bay. The aromatic odour of these trees was supposed by theancient Romans to have the power of dispelling contagion, and during a pes-tilence the Emperor Claudius removed his court to Laurentine, so celebratedfor its bay trees. Theophrastus tells us that superstitious Greeks wouldkeep a bay leaf in their mouths all day, to preserve themselves from misfor-tunes. The Greeks had also diviners who were called Daphnephagi, be-cause they chewed bay leaves, which they pretended inspired them with thespirit of prophecy. The bay was dedicated to Apollo, and the first templeraised to that god at Delphi was formed of the branches of the tree. Itwas the favourite tree of the poets: and we are told thatMaia, the mother ofVirgil , dreamt that she was delivered of a bay tree; and that one of thesetrees sprang from Virgil ’s ashes, and is still growing over his tomb. In latertimes it was supposed to be a safeguard against lightning; and Madame De Genlis mentions the device of the Count De Dunois, which was a bay tree,with the motto “ I defend the earth that bears me.” It was a custom in themiddle ages, to place wreaths of laurel, with the berries on, on the heads ofthose poets who had particularly distinguished themselves; hence our ex-pression, poet laureate. “ Students who have taken their degrees at theuniversities are called bachelors, from the French bachelier , which is derivedfrom the Latin baccalaureus, a laurel berry. These students were not allowedto marry, lest the duties of husband and father should take them from theirliterary pursuits; and, in time, all single men were called bachelors.” (SylvaFlor., i. p. 115.) This tree is mentioned by Chaucer as the crown of theKnights of the Round Table.

Soil, Propagation, fyc. The Taurus nobilis requires a good free soil, andit will not thrive in the open air, in a climate much colder than that of theenvirons of London . It is generally propagated by layers ; but as the berriesare ripened in the south of England, and can be had in abundance fromFrance , the species is very generally increased from seeds, and the varietiesonly raised from layers or cuttings. As an evergreen shrub, not only beau-tiful in itself, but connected with many classical and interesting associations,it ought to have a place in every collection. As it forms a dense conicalbush, when not trained to a single stem, it is well adapted for garden hedges.This tree is very tenacious of life, and the root or stump of an apparentlydead tree will often send up suckers two years after it has appeared tobe dead.

Statistics. Latirus ndbilis in the Environs of London . There are plants upward of 20 ft. high, atvarious places, the largest of which, that we have seen, is a plant at Syon 28 ft. high, forming animmense conical bush, 18 ft. in diameter at the base. Therate of growth in the neighbourhood ofLondon , as deduced from the dimensions of several young plants sent us, is about 15 ft. in height, m10 years.

lyvurus ndbilis South of London . The largest tree of this species in England is at Margram inGlamorganshire , the seat of C.P.Talbot, Esq., M.P., about 12 miles from Swansea. It is 61 ft 6 in. high,and forms a magnificent bell-shaped bush, about 60ft. in diameter at the base. In Devonshire,