127.  Juniperus communis.  Juniper.—­An evergreen shrub, very common on waste lands.  The berries are used in preparing the well-known spiritous liquor gin, and have been considered of great use in medicine.

128.  LIGUSTRUM vulgare.  Privet.—­A shrub of somewhat humble growth, very useful for forming hedges where shelter is wanted more than strength.  It bears clipping, and forms a very ornamental fence.  There is a variety of this with berries, and another nearly evergreen.

129.  Mespilus germanica.  The Medlar.—­Is cultivated for its fruit, and of which we have a variety called the Dutch Medlar; it is larger than our English one, but I do not think it better flavoured.

130.  Pinus sylvestris.  The scotch Fir.—­A very useful tree in plantations for protecting other more tender sorts when young.  It is also now very valuable as timber:—­necessity, the common parent of invention, has taught our countrymen its value.  When foreign deal was worth twenty pounds per load, they contrieved to raise the price of this to about nine or ten pounds, and it was then thought proper for use; before which period, and when it could be bought for little money, it was deemed only fit for fuel.  On the South Downs I know some plantations of this tree, which have been sold, after twenty-five years growth, at a price which averaged a profit of twenty shillings per annum per acre, on land usually let for sheep-pasture at one shilling and six-pence.

131.  Populus alba.  White poplar.  This is a very ornamental tree.  The leaves on the under surface are of a fine white, and on the reverse of a very dark green; and when growing on large trees are truly beautiful, as every breath of air changes the colour as the leaves move.  The wood of all the species of poplar is useful for boards, or any other purposes if kept dry.  It is much in demand for floor-boards for rooms, it not readily taking fire; a red-hot poker falling on a board, would burn its way through it, without causing more combustion than the hole through which it passed.

132.  Populus monilifera.  Canada poplar.—­This is also known by the name of black Italian poplar, but from whence it had this name I do not know.  This species, which is the finest of all the kinds, grows very commonly in woods and hedges in many parts of Worcestershire and Herefordshire, where it reaches to prodigious sizes.  Perhaps no timber is more useful than this; it is very durable, and easy to be converted to all purposes in building.  The floors of a great part of Downton Castle, the seat of R. Payne Knight, Esq. are laid with this wood, which have been used forty years and are perfectly sound.  Trees are now growing on his estate which are three and four feet in diameter.  I have one growing in my Botanic garden which is eight years old, and measures