Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1863-12-07
Curious Trees.

Useful trees have their place, and so do
ornamental trees. But in addition to these
there is class which may be called dis
tinctiyely curious; and OF these few notes
may be interesting:
The Cow Tree is a native OF Venezuela
South America. 1t is often found growing
on the poorest and most rocky soil. Its
leaves are dry and feathery in appearance
and for several months Of the year not
shower falls to moisten its roots and branches:
Yet. by piercing the bark, it yields liquid
resembling milk, which is sweet and nou-
rishing. At sunrise this fluid seems to be
especially abundant, and at this hour the ma
tives go to the trees in great numbers to get
their daily supply.
The Sorrowtul Tree is found near Bombay
India. 1t is so called from its habit of bloom
ing only at night. While the sun is shining,
not an expanded flower is visible; yet in half
an hour after the sun is below the horizon,
the tree is full of them. There is little,
beauty in them, though the odor is pleasant.
At sunrise the petals close up or drop to the
ground. This tree, it would seem, must have
some sort of relation to the night-bloomlng
Cereus. -.
The Dwarf Tree is upon high lands, near
Cape Horn. Its maximum height Is TWO
and half feet, and the spread OF its branches
about four feet, and stiff thorny mat at
that.
The Mammoth Trees of California are
worthy of note here. They are found three
hundred feet high, and twenty-nlne feet IN
diameter at FIVE feet from the ground.
hollow section of trunk was exhibited at
San Francisco, which presented large car
peted room, with piano, and seats for forty
nersons. On one occasion, Il hundred and
forty Children were admitted without ineon-
venience.
The Ivory Nut Tree is found in South
America, and belongs to the palm tribe. The
natives use it in building their huts, and out
of its nuts they make buttons and various
trinkets. OF late years the nuts have found
their way to other countries, where they are
worked up into all sorts of fancy articles!
The Cannon Ball Tree. - What can be
more interesting than this tree in our war;
like time! It's pity that it grows only III
the trcpicss 1t rises about sixty-tive feet
high; has beautiful crimson flowers, in clus-
tiers, which are very fragront. The resemi
blance of the fruit to cannon balls has given
it its martial name. When fully ripe, the
balls burst with loud report. The shells
are worked into cups and great variety OF
other useful and ornamental household
utensils. 81. ...f... ....
The Bread Fruit Trec.-Here is something
useful as well as curious. Would that it
grew somewhere besides in the islands Of
the Pacific. The fruit attains the size OF a
child's head, ten years old. If wanted for
food, it needs to be gathered little before 1t
is fully ripe, and then baked, like hoe
cake, in hot ashes. When properly cooked
it resembles mot little the taste of good
whcaten loaf. Nor is this the only use Of the
tree. Its timber is excellent; for house
building, for making canoes and agricultural
implements. The sap is gummy substances
very useful as pitch for caulking the seams
ofvessels: The fibre of the inner bark Is
used by the natives for making cloth, whiCh,
in that climate, answers good purpose. 1t
is the favorite tree of its native region: and
we'll it may be. -, =,
The Upas Trec.-The "deadly Upas," of
which we have all read and heard from child
hood, which was supposed to ditfused poi
sonous air, fatal to animals or men who came
beneath its branches, has no existence, and
never had. The only possible ground for the
superstition was this On certain island OF
the East Indies there is valley in which
is constant deposition Of carbonic acid gas.
This gas spreads itself among few trees OF
the neighborhood, and, of course, if birdsJ
animals, or men inhale much of this gas, it
will quite surely be fatal to them. But this
is no fault of the trees; which have been
found to possess no poisonous quality. ..
The Tallow Tree is a veritable fact. 1t
lives in China, and yields an oily substance
resembling tallow, and which answers well as
a substitute for it. The tree isSonly Of me-
dunn size at maturity.
The Varnish Tree is Japanese. though
found, also, sparingly in China: This is the
tree which produces the black Japan, varnish,
so useful an article in commerce. 1t resem-
bles, in general appearance, the white ash
tree of this country. 1t does not furnish its
peculiar liquid in large quantities untilhine
or ten years old.