44-                                 KALM's  TRAVERS  IN NORTH  AMERICA,      -
opening them all the parts of fructification, fuch as calyx, corolla, ftamina, and
piftillum, were plainly diftinguifhable. It was therefore eafy to determine the genus
to which fuch trees belonged. Such were the red maple, or acer rubrum, and the
laurus asftivalis, a fpecies of bay. Thus nature prepared to bring forth flowers, with
the firft mild weather in the next year. The buds were at prefent quite hard, and all
their parts preffed clofe together   that the cold might by all means be excluded.
The black walnut-trees had for the greateft part  dropt their leaves, and many of
them were entirely without them.    The walnuts themfelves were already fallen off.
. The green peel which enclofed them,  if frequently handled, would yield a black
colour, which could not be got off the fingers in two or three weeks time, though the
hands were wafhed ever fo much.
The cornus florida was called dog-wood by the Englifh, and grew abundantly in the
woods. It looks beautiful when it is adorned with its numerous great whLe flowers in
fpring. The wood is very hard, and is therefore made ufe of for weavers fpools,
joiners planes, wedges, &c. When the cattle fall down in fpring for want of ftrength,
the people tie a branch of this tree on their neck, thinking it will help them.
Oct. 19th. The tulip-tree grows every where in the woods of this country. The
botanifts call it liriodendron tulipifera, becaufe its flowers, both in refpefr to their fize,
and in refpect to their exterior form, and even in fome meafure with regard to their
colour, refemble tulips. The Swedes call it canoe-tree, for both the Indians and the
Europeans often make their canoes of the ftem of this tree. The Englifhmen in Pen-
fylvania give it the name of poplar. It is reckoned a tree which grows to the greateft
height and thicknefs of any in North America, and which vies in that point with our
greateft European trees. The white oak and the fir in North America, however,
are little inferior to it. It cannot therefore but be very agreeable to fee in fpring, at
the end of May (when it is in bloffom), one of the greateft trees covered for a fortnight
together with flowers, which, with regard to their fhape, fize, and partly colour,
are like tulips ; the leaves have likewife fomething peculiar ; the Englifh, therefore,
in fome places, call the tree the old woman's fmock, becaufe their imagination finds
fomething like it below the leaves.
Its wood is here made ufe of for canoes, boards, planks, bowls, difties, fpoons,
door-pofts, and all forts of joiners work. I have feen a barn of a confiderable fize,
whofe walls and roof were made of a fingle tree of this kind, fplit into boards.
Some joiners reckoned this wood better than oak, becaufe this latter frequently is
warped, which the other never does, but works very eafy ; others again valued it
very little. It is certain, that it contracts fo much in hot weather, as to occafion
great cracks in the boards, and in wet weather it fwells fo as to be near burning,
and the people hardly know of a wood in thefe parts which varies fo much in con-
tracting and expanding itfelf. The joiners, however, make much ufe of it in their
work ; they fay there are two fpecies of it ; but they are merely two varieties, one
of which, in time, turns yellow within ; the other is white ; the former is faid to
have a loofer texture. The bark (like Ruffian glafs) is divifible into very thin
leaves, which are very tough like baft, though I have never feen it employed as fuch.
The leaves, when crufhed and applied to the forehead, are faid to be a remedy
againft the head-ach. When horfes are plagued with worms, the bark is pounded,
and given them quite dry. Many people believe its roots to be as efficacious againft
the fever as the Jefuits bark. The trees grow in all forts of dry foil, both on high
and low grounds, but too wet a foil will not agree with them.
oa.