CHAP. Cl.

I'lha'ce.h. ce'ltis.

1415

seldom touched by insects, either on the Continent or in England; and theCossus Ligniperda and Scolytus destructor, which are so injurious to thetimber of many other trees, never touch either that of Celds, that of Pl&neraRichardi, or that of Cyrus Sorbus. C. australis is found on both the shores ofthe Mediterranean, throughout the whole of the south of France, Italy , andSpain. It is particularly abundant in Provence ; and there is a celebrated treeat Aix, under which it is said that the ancient sovereigns of Provence deliveredtheir edicts to the people. The European nettle tree is much used in thenorth of Italy and the south of France , for planting squares and public walks,where it is frequently found from 40 ft. to 50ft. high, with trunks from lift,to 3 ft. in circumference. The wood of this tree is extremely compact; rankingbetween that of the live oak and that of the box, for hardness and density'.According to Baudrillart, it weighs, when dry, 70 lb. 3 oz. per cubic foot. Thewood of the branches is elastic, and so extremely supple, that a piece 5 ft. or6 ft. long, and 1 in. in diameter, may be made into a circle without breaking.Its compactness renders it susceptible of a high polish; and,when it is cutobliquely across the fibres, it very much resembles satin-wood. It is principallyused for furniture, and, by the sculptors in wood, for carving into the statues ofsaints; but it is also employed for making tubs and cisterns, and the branchesfor hay-forks. These divers uses, says M. De Cubieres, “ remind one of theverses of La Fontaine , when he makes his carver in wood exclaim, —

Sera-t-il dieu, table, ou cuvette?”

What shall 1 make of it ? ay, that’s the rub j

A god, a table, or a salt-fish tub ? ”

The principal use, however, of the nettle tree, in the south of France , is formaking hay-forks ; for which use the pliability and toughness of its branchesrender it particularly suitable. Plantations of the tree, for this purpose, arecommon near Lyons, and in several parts of the south of France ; and inthe department du Gard there are about seven acres of rocky ground whichwould be quite useless for any other purpose, but which are planted withnettle trees, from which above 5000 dozens of hay-forks are made everyyear, producing a yearly revenue of 25,000 francs. The stem of this tree,when cut over by the ground, throws up thick and vigorous shoots, whichmake excellent handles for coach whips, ramrods to muskets, and walking-sticks, which have almost the flexibility of a supple-jack. When the treesare intended for this purpose, they are planted in masses very close to oneanother, in order that they may be drawn up, and increase in length ratherthan in thickness. The inhabitants of Narbonne , and of the department ofAude , cultivate the nettle tree for these purposes, in the very best soil; andthe shoots produced form an article of extensive commerce, under the name oflois de Perpignan, furnishing, according to Baudrillart, whip-handles to all thecoachmen in Europe . It is also much used for musical instruments, and forthe shafts and axletrees of carriages, the poles of sedan chairs, and the navesot wheels. The root is used for dyeing yellow; the bark for tanning; andan oil is expressed from the stones of the fruit.

In the environs of London , the largest tree is at Mitcham, in the grounds which fer-6 , t0 ^ r - Dubois ; where the trunk is 6 ft. 8 in. in circumference, and the head 50 ft. inthpr • ^ ears abundance of fruit every year, as noticed, with other particulars, in p. 63. At Kew,with 618 a tree 40ft. high ; and one at Kenwood, which, in 40 years, has attained the height of 40 ft.,thori^ ttun k 1 ft. diameter. In Dorsetshire , at Melbury Park, 30 years planted, it is 28 ft. high :r)nhi- am ^?r ^ 2 ft., and of the head 21 ft. At Coul, in Cromarty, it is 16 ft. high. Near

itisKok' v- ■J’ enure i ^ is 10 ft. high. In France, in the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris,60 years planted,it is e- u the d5arnete *‘ of the trunk If ft; in the Botanic Garden at Toulon , 50 years planted,oa. 4 5« • f-’ and the diameter of the trunk If ft.; near Montpelier, there is a tree with a trunk.3*^^ m , d A ain , e ter. In Italy , at Monza, 100 years old, it is 70 ft. high ; the diameter of the trunk0 ,l -» and of the head 72 ft.

^ 2. C. (a.) cauca'sica Willd. The Caucasian Celtis, or Nettle Tree .

Sp. PI, 4. p. 994. - Poiret in Encycl. Suppl., 3. p. 688.; Rcem. et Schult. Syst.

S ^havfn? r ih5 C ’ ver y close] y a^m to C australis ; but it differs in its leaves being more ovate,

leavMfrfr acu ^?J na t® part shorter, and being glabrous, except in so far as is stated below. Theu caucasica may be described as follows : — Oblong, acuminate, serrate with large teeth, a