CHAP. CXI1I.

CONl'FER-ffi. JUNl'PEItUS.

2493

whom they believed its perfume was acceptable, and burnt it in their dwell-ings to keep away demons. A similar custom still prevails, to a certainextent, in various parts of the Continent; where the peasants believe thatburning juniper branches before their doors will prevent the incantations ofwitches, and keep away evil spirits. It is probably in allusion to this beliefthat Sir Walter Scott says, in the Lady of the Lake, —

“ A heap of wither’d boughs was piledOf juniper and rowan wild,

Mingled with shivers from the oak,

Rent by the lightning’s recent stroke.*’

Properties and Uses. The wood is finely veined, of a yellowish brown,and very aromatic. It weighs, when dry, above 42 lb. per cubic foot. Itmakes excellent vine-props, but is generally considered too valuable to beapplied to such a use, as, from its beauty, and the high polish it will take,it is employed for walkingsticks, cups, and various articles of turnery. Itmakes excellent fuel, and is used in Scotland and Sweden for smoking hams.The bark is made by the Laplanders into ropes. The berries are, however,the most useful product of the juniper. Many kinds of birds feed on them ;and, when burnt, they were formerly thought to possess the power of prevent-ing infection. They are, however, now principally used in making gin, whichis simply a spirit distilled from corn, and flavoured by an infusion of theseberries. When crushed and distilled, the berries yield an essential oil.They are used by the peasants, in some parts of France , to make a kind ofbeer, which is called genevrette. For this purpose, they take equal parts ofbarley and juniper berries, and, after boiling the barley about a quarter of anhour, they throw in the juniper berries. They then pour the whole into abarrel half full of water, and bung it closely for two or three days; afterwhich they give it air to promote fermentation. Some persons add molassesor coarse sugar, to make the liquor stronger. This beer is ready to drink inabout a week, and it is bright and sparkling, and powerfully diuretic. Applesor pears, slightly crushed, are sometimes substituted for the barley ; but theliquor thus made is apt to turn sour, or become vapid, in a short time. Itwas formerly supposed that this shrub, when grown in hot countries, pro-duced the substance called gum sandarach, which, when powdered, is calledpounce; but it is now discovered that this gum is the produce of Callitrisquadrivalvis (see p. 2463.). The entire juniper bush was formerly muchemployed in topiary work; and Evelyn mentions that his brother hadan arbour, which three persons could sit in, cut out of a single plant. Thisarbour was 7 ft. wide, and 11 ft. high. The juniper is occasionally still seenin modern gardens, trained and clipped into the form of an open bowlor goblet. There is a fine specimen, a bowl, in the gardens of Mrs. Marryatt, atWimbledon House, and another in the nursery of Mr. Waterer, at Knaphill.In France , being one of the few evergreen shrubs that will stand the open airin the climate of Paris, it is often planted as a screen to objects which it isdesired to conceal, and trained and clipped into the form of evergreen walls,called there rideaux de verdure. The low trailing varieties are well adaptedfor covering rockwork.

Statistics. In Devonshire, at Endsieigh Cottage, 12 years planted, it is 16 ft. high, diameter ofthe head 10 ft. In Surrey, at Bagshot Park, 12 years planted, it is 15 ft. high. In Wiltshire , atWardour Castle, 40 years planted, it is 30 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk 6 in., and of the head12 ft. In Bedfordshire , at Ampthill, 22 years planted, it is 10 ft. high. In Suffolk, at FinboroughHall, 40 years planted, it is 16 ft. high. In Yorkshire , at Hackress, 40 years planted, it is 12 ft. high.In Ireland, in King’s County, at Charleville Forest, 25 years planted, it is 20 ft. high. In France , inBrittany, at Barres, 50 years old, it is 9 ft. high, and the diameter of the trunk 1 ft.; at Avranches ,in the garden of M. Angot, 29 years planted, it is 24 ft. high. In Germany, in Bavaria , in theBotanic Garden, Munich, 24 years planted, it is 6 ft. high. In Italy, at Monza , 29 years planted, itis 20 ft. high. * *

J. c. 2 suicica. In Hampshire, at Farnham Castle, 50 years planted, it is 40 ft. high, the dia-meter of the trunk 2 ft, and that of the space covered by the branches 20 ft. In Surrey , at BagshotPark, 12 years planted, it is 2u ft. high. In Sussex, at Wesidean, 14 years planted, it is 17 ft high.In Berkshire, at White Knights, 24 years planted, it is 32 ft high. In Ireland , in Louth, at OrielTemple, 18 years planted, it is 12 ft. high.

Commercial Statistics. Plants, in the London nurseries, are 9d. each, and of