. A description and history of vegetable substances, used in the arts, and in domestic economy . oft, white, andlight. One sing\ilar property of this tree is, that * The name of this pine was given to it as a tribute toLambert, the author of a most splendid work on the genusPinus, THE YEW. 71 when the timber is partly burned, the turpentineloses its peculiar flavour, and acquires a sweetishtaste. It is used by the natives as a substitute forsugar. TIMBER TREES ALLIED TO THE PINES, IN THEIRAPPEARANCE OR THEIR USES. The principal of these are the Yew, the Cypress,the Juniper, and the Arbor viifB
. A description and history of vegetable substances, used in the arts, and in domestic economy . oft, white, andlight. One sing\ilar property of this tree is, that * The name of this pine was given to it as a tribute toLambert, the author of a most splendid work on the genusPinus, THE YEW. 71 when the timber is partly burned, the turpentineloses its peculiar flavour, and acquires a sweetishtaste. It is used by the natives as a substitute forsugar. TIMBER TREES ALLIED TO THE PINES, IN THEIRAPPEARANCE OR THEIR USES. The principal of these are the Yew, the Cypress,the Juniper, and the Arbor viifB; these, like thepines, all belong to the natural order of Coniferee, orcone-bearing trees; and they have the common cha-racters of being mostly evergreens, and the woodbeing resinous or bitter: but there are some distinc-tions—the pine, the cj^press, the juniper, and thearbor vita*, are monceciovs or one-housed—that is,have the male and female flower on the same plant;while the juniper and the yew are dioecious or two-housed—have the male flowers on one tree and thefemales on The Yew Tree (called Taxxis, probably from theGreek, which signities swiftness, and may allude tothe velocity of an arrow shot from a yew-tree bow,)is a tree of no little celebrity, both in the militaryand the superstitious history of England. The com-mon yew is a native of Europe, of North America,and of the Japanese Isles. It used to be very plen- 72 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. tifiil in England and Ireland, and probably alsoin Scotland. Caesar mentions it as havino- beenabundant in Gaul; and much of it is found inIreland, imbedded in the earth. The trunk andbranches grow very straight; the bark is cast an-nually ; and the wood is compact, hard, and veryelastic. It is, therefore, of great use in every branchof the arts in which firm and durable timber is re-quired ; and, before the general use of fire-arms, itwas in high request for bows: so much of it wasrequired for the latter purpose, that
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