Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 1, 1802).djvu/230

202] care, will also be a beneficial acquisition.

The Abbe informs us, that in China this tree grows to above 150 feet high, and more than forty yards in circumference. The camphor is obtained by lopping the branches, which the Chinese chop very small, steep in spring water for three days, and afterwards purify the sap by boiling.

7. The Laurus Persea, L. or the Alligator pear-tree, is another species of the bay, which is generally cultivated in the West Indies. It rises to a considerable height, with a straight trunk; the bark is of a greyish colour; the leaves of a beautiful green. Its fruit is pear-shaped, and from one to two pounds weight. It affords an agreeable article of diet to the negroes, and with a little salt and a plantain, furnishes a nourishing repast.—When the pear is ripe, its pulp is harder than butter; and from its similarity in taste to that animal oil, it is called vegetable marrow.

There are several other species of the bay-tree, which we shall not enumerate, as they are of inferior value, and consequently less interesting.  BEAN, or Vicia, L. a genus of plants, of which there are four species commonly reared in the gardens of this country: 1. The small Lisbon, or Magazan; 2. The Spanish; 3.The Sandwich; and 4. The Windsor beans. The Magazan beans are esteemed either for the table or cattle: they are as palatable as the Windsor, and should be cultivated in a loamy soil, in rows nearly a yard distant from each other, and about four inches in depth: the first crop ought to be set about the latter end of November; the second in December; and the others in January, February and March, but not so thick as the former.

If the rows should appear too thin, some may be transplanted from those which are thicker, but all ought to stand four inches distant from each other, and afterwards to be moulded and Dutch-hoed during the summer.

In the beginning of May, the first sown beans will blossom from the bottom to the top, even if they rise to the height of three feet; they grow strong, and send three or four stalks from one root, but should never be lopped, as this would prevent the pods from arriving at their full growth.

When ripe, they should be pulled, and set upright to dry, and may afterwards be split; in which state they are excellent food for horses and swine. The bean-straw is also beneficial, as the produce of ten acres, wnen cut to chaff with a three-knife machine, will supply sufficient nourishment for ten cows and two calves, for twenty weeks. A man is able to cut as much in twelve hours, as twelve head of cattle can eat in a week. Cows, when kept on this food alone, will eat about 25lb. a day.

Spanish Beans should be planted in October and November, sheltered by walls or hedges, where, if they survive the severity of the season, they will come to perfection early in summer. They may also be raised very close in beds, if covered with mats in winter, and transplanted in spring.

The Lisbon Bean is preferred to the Spanish; but as it is apt to degenerate, by ripening early, though not in any perfection, fresh seed ought to be imported every two years. The Spanish and Windsor beans, which are those generally used