The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-31
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NELL III ZED.iR.tCJT.

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china is failure in this section" Pray,
whose experience? and why in this
! section more than elsewhere? Plenty
, Of these trees arc here, older than he
and his father together. Whole fam
lies have grown up and dispersed
abroad, and homcstcads have rrsscd
away, leaving an old lorsaicn china
tree to mark the spot. It's duration is
from forty to scvcnty-livc years, ac-
| cording to conditions; not SO cDhcmcr-
al therefore that "locul reporters" may
may rise up and pronounce it |'a fail
uc." The "Pridc OF India" is the
proper name by which this tree was
known when first introduced here
from It's home in India and Persia,
sometimes the "lridc OF China" and
thence abbreviated to simple "China," !"
to suit our taste for short designations.
II has some valuable qualities, rs fol-
lows: It's 0fvcry rapid growth. at
tanning as much value and dignity as Il
shade tree in four or five years as an
oak or elm in ten or twelve years. In
the early days of"thiS section" it was
greatly valued on this account, and is
SO yet, wherever shade is wanted in Il
reasonably short time. In it's youth
and prime it is always clean and
sirai@ht-limbcd, never unshapcly, and
its foliage is bright and cheerful and
clean. No insects, such as mosquitoes,
spiders or bugs, ever hide in its leaves
or on its bark. Therefore it is u whole
some, clean tree.
Its root, or the bark of the root, has
valuable medicinal qualities. In the
domestic practice it has long been used
as All cmctic and a vcrmitugr, and it
has also cathartic properties. In large
doses it is Il narcotic. The berries are
much used In the country to protect
dried fruit from worms and moths. l
know nothing else but these berries
that will prevent dried peaches from
becoming pray 70 worms, and at the
same time not affect the tas.c Of the
fruit. or course the berries arc to be
picked out before the fruit is used.
The leaves and berries partially dried
and rolled up with carpets and other
WoolcnS IN tho sunni CT area 10 &C
ton against moths, almost as good as
camphor. Although the leaves arc i'll
tcnscly bitter and nauscOus to our taste,
yet cattle prefer them to any other food.
Give toa cow the china tree leaves
along with the richest clover, or any
other food whatever, and she will cat
the china leaves first. Is there any ap-
peal from the cows opinion on this
point? have never heard that any
ultimatcd quantity Of them would in
jurc the COW, or affect the taste Of her
milk or butter; which is equally strange
and true. The wood Of the china tree
makes good fuel, and the heart wood of
Il sound tree is as beautifully grained
as any of the ornamental woods. II is
darker than oak, beautifully marked,
and almost as rich in color as mahoga-
ny. It's texture is so close, too, that it
will take polish equal to the best, and
when so dressed and varnishcd, it is as
handsome as any the costly woods in
common use, except mahogany.
On account of the bitter taste of the
wool, bcds.cal or other furniture
made from it will ncvcr be infected by
bugs or vcrmin ofany description. It's
durability as post wood is equal to oak
and second only to cedar and fat pine,
rnpid growth and early maturity will
cause it to be greatly appreciated, per-
haps, in future times, when clean
straight timber, suitable for domestic
and ornamental uses, is not so nbun(l-
ant here as it is now The China tree
is ours by adoption. 1t has become ac-
climatcd fully, and may be almost call
cd indigenous to our soil. 1t is strict
" a tree Of "way down in Dixie"
North Of Virginia it docs not flourish.
lfthc woodi brittle, so also is that Of the
invaluable native pine, and it's power
to withstand our ordinary storms is
quite equal to that Of many other cs-
tccmcd trees. II has not SO long n life
as the oak and the elm, but its years
will average rs we'll as our own, and
its virtues arc too many to be easily
overlooked. l am sorry for your un-
apprcclativc reporter. Evidently he
has never roamcd around when nc was
Il boy with his pocket full Of china bcr-
rics and an elder POP Gun.
Mrs. DoRsEY's WILL.-Thc follow
ing is the full text of the will OF Mrs.
). a. Dorsey, the lady who left her
property to Jefferson Davis:
!, Sarah Anne Dorsey, of Tansas
parish, Louisiana, being aware of the
uncertainty Of life, and being now in
sound health Of mind and body, do
make this my last will and testament,
which | write, sign and seal with my
"" - ''''i>J ~ thO l'iSoClCC III lHicC
competent witnesses, as possess prop
crty in The States Of Louisiana, Niissis-
sippi and Arkansas. l owe no obliya-
ton Of any sort whatever to any rcIa-
tive of my own; ! have cone all I
could for them during my life. /,
therefore, give and bcqueath all my
property, real, personal and mixed,
wherever located and situated, wholly
and entirely without hindorance or
qualification, to my most honorod and
esteemed friend, Jefferson Davis, cx-
President of the Confederate States,
for his own sole use and benefit, in fec
simple, forever; and L hereby consti-
tutc him for sole heir, executor and
administrator. If Jefferson Davis
should not survive me, l give all
that ! have bcqucathcd to him to his
Youngest daughter, Varina. l do not
intend to share in the ingratitudc of
my country toward tho man who is.
in my eyes, tho highest and noblcst in
existence.
In testimony whereof I sign this
Will, written with my own hand, in
the presence Of w. l.. Walthall, Il. S.
IIn>vpc o,,l Tnh,, Tt,,:<.