2438

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART HI.

required. (See Lamb. Pin., ed. 2., ii. p. 108.) Dr. Poeppig says:—“ Thearaucaria is the palm of those Indians who inhabit the Chilian Andes, fromlat. 37° to 48°; yielding to these nomade nations, a vegetable substance that isfound in the greater plenty the more they recede front the whites, and themore difficult they find it to obtain corn by commerce. Such is the extentof the araucarian forests ( pinares ), and the amazing quantity of nutritiousseeds that each full-grown tree produces, that the Indians are ever securefrom want; and even the discord that prevails frequently among the differenthordes does not prevent the quiet collection of this kind of harvest. A singlefruit ( cabeza , a head,) contains between 200 and 300 kernels; and thereare frequently 20 or 30 fruits on one stem; and, as even a hearty eater amongthe Indians, except he should be wholly deprived of every other kind of sus-tenance, cannot consume more than 200 nuts in a day, it is obvious that18 araucarias will maintain a single person for a whole year. The kernel,which is of the shape of an almond, but double the size, is surrounded with acoriaceous membrane, that is easily removed; though relishing, when pre-pared, it is not easily digestible, and, containing but a small quantity of oil, isapt to cause disorders in the stomach with those who are not accustomed tothis diet. When the scarcely matured seeds are dried in the sun, a sugarysubstance exudes, which appears to reside chiefly in the embryo. The Indianseat them either fresh, boiled, or roasted; and the latter mode of cookinggives them a flavour something like that of a chestnut. For winter’s use, theyare dried after being boiled ; and the women prepare a kind of flour and pastryfrom them. The collecting of these fruits would be attended with great labour,if it were always necessary to climb the gigantic trunks; but, as soon as thekernels are ripe, towards the end of March, the cones drop oft' of themselves,and, shedding their contents on the ground, scatter liberally a boon, whichnothing but the little parrot (Psittacus chorae'us Mol.), and a species ofcherry finch, divide with the Indians. In the vast forests, of a day’s journeyin extent, that are formed by these trees in the districts of Pehuenches andHuilliches, the fruits lie in such plenty on the ground, that but a very smallpart of them can be consumed. In former times, a great quantity came toConcepcion and Valdivia, by trading with the Indians; and thence they foundtheir way to Valparaiso and Lima; but now they are seldom met with anywhere near the coast, till they are too old to be palatable.” (Ibid.)

Propagation, Culture, §c. The treatment of this tree, when raised fromseeds, may be considered in all respects the same as that of the cedar ; regardbeing had to the different size of the seeds, which will, of course, require athicker covering. Plants may be raised from cuttings; and these, we have nodoubt, will in time assume a leading shoot, like that of seedlings ; but, as theplant has been only a short time propagated in this way, the only instance inwhich we are certain of this having taken place is at Dropmore ; where, in con-sequence of all the shoots of a plant raised from a cutting, now 6 or 8 yearsold, having been pegged down to the ground, a vigorous erect shoot, which,in 1837, was 2 ft. high, has been protruded from the collar, and promises tomake as handsome a tree as any seedling plant whatever.

S/atistics. The largest specimen in the neighbourhood of London is that at Kew, which, in 18S6,was lilt, high, having been raised from seed in 1796, and planted out in the open air in 1806. Inthe Horticultural Society’s Garden, 8 years planted, it is 6ft. high. In Bedfordshire , at Flitwlck,

4 years planted, it is 3 ft. 5 in. high. In Berkshire, at Diopinore, are several from 8 ft. to 9 ft. ^'Sh-in Hertfordshire, at Cheshunt , 3 years planted, it is 3ft. 6in. high ; at Bayfordbury, it is4ft. *high. In Kent, at Redleaf, it is 5ft. high. In Lancashire , in the Manchester Botanic Garden,

5 ft. 8 in. In Northumberland, at Belsay, it is 5 ft. lin. high.—In Scotland , in the ExperimentalGarden at Jnverleith, 6 years planted, it is 3 ft. high ; and in the Botanic Garden, 3 ft. 6 in. high;in Lawson’s Nursery, 3 years planted, it is 2ft. 6 in. high. At Aberdeen, in Roy’s Nursery, it is 2 it-t>in. In Stirlingshire, at Buchanan, 3ft. high. In all these places, except Kew, it stands withoutthe slightest, protection; and, at Aberdeen, is found more hardy than the common cedar of Lebanon .—In France, in the garden of M. Brunei, at Avranches , 6 years planted, it is 11 ft. high.

Commercial Statistics. Plants, in the London nurseries, are rarely to be metwith, ami they are charged from 2 to 5 guineas each, according to their size.