Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, PLA-RAM

POP [385! POR
The fhoots of on the fuhjeft, gives an account of the ufes of the fe-
veral kinds of poplar, the fubltance of which is as fol¬
lows : He finds that the wood of the black poplar is
good and ufeful for many purpofes ; that the Lom¬
bardy poplar, populus fa/tigata, is of very little value ;
that the Virginia poplar, populus Virginiana, affords a
wood of excellent quality, that may be applied to many
ufes. The Carolina poplar, populus Carolinenfts—h’te-
rophil/a, (Linn.) is a very quick grower ; beautiful
when found, but liable to be hurt by cold. Its wood
appeared lo M. de Bondaroy to be of little value ; but
M. Malefherbes, who cut down a large tree of this fort,
was allured by his carpenter that the wood was very
good.—That the tacamahaca, populus tacam shaca balfa-
mifera, is a dwarnfh plant (a), of little value.—That
the hard, populus Canadenjis, is a large tree, the wood
light, not eafy to be fplit, and fit for feveral ufes.—That
the white poplar, populus alba, is a large growing tree,
affording a wood of excellent quality, and is among the
mod valuable of this fpecies.—That the trembling pop¬
lar, populus tremula, (Linn.) is neither fo large a tree
nor affords fuch wood as the former. Thefe are in few
words the principal refult of the experiments of this
gentleman on this clafs of plants. A few other forts
are mentioned, but nothing decifive with regard to them
is determined.
From fome experiments made by M. Dambourney,
it appears that the poplar may be ufefully employed in
dyeing. The Italian poplar gives a dye of as fine a
luflre, and equally durable, as that of the fined yellow
wood, and its colour is more eafily extradled. It is
likewife very apt to unite with other colours in compo-
fition. Befide the p',pulus fajliguta, M. Lambourney
tried alfo the black poplar, the Virginian ditto, the bal-
fam ditto or Hard, the white ditto, and the trembling
poplar ; and found that all thefe dyed wool of a nut-co¬
lour, fawn-colour {’vigogne). Nankin, mufk, and other
grave lhades, according to the quantity of wood employ¬
ed, and the length of time it was boiled.
POQUELIN or Pocquelin (John Baptid.) See
Moliere.
PORANA, in botany ; a genus of the monogynia
order, belonging to the pentandria clafs of plants. The
corolla is campanulated; the calyx is quinquefid, and
Pupulus. railed by it are lefs mold than others.
v— this tree, while young, are frequently killed down to a
confiderable length by the frod in winter ; but as the
trees grow older, their fhoots are not fo vigorous^ and
become more ligneous, fo are not liable to the fame dif-
nder. But the trees fhould be planted in a flieltered fi-
tuation : for as their leaves are very large, the wind has
great power over them ; and the branches being tender,
they are frequently broken or fplit by the winds in dim¬
mer, when they are much expofed. The tacamahaca
fends up a great number of fuckers from its roots, by
which it multiplies in plenty; and every' cutting which is
planted will take root.
Ufes. The wood of thefe trees, efpecially of the
abele, is good for laying floors, where it will lad for
many years ; and on account of its extreme whitenefs
is by many preferred to oak; yet, on account of its
foft contexture, being very fubjeft to take the impref-
fion of nails, &c. it is lefs proper on this account than
the harder woods. The abele likewife deferves parti¬
cular notice, on account of the virtue of its bark in cu¬
ring intermitting fevers. The Reverend Mr Stone, in
Phil. Tranf. vol. LIII. p. 195. tells us, that he gathers the
bark in dimmer when it is full of fap, and having dried it
by a gentle heat, gives a dram powdered every four hours
betwixt the fits. In a few obdinate cafes, he mixed one-
fifth part of Peruvian bark with it. It is remarkable how
nature has adapted remedies to difeafes. Intermitting fe¬
vers are mod prevalent in wet countries; and this tree
grows naturally in fuch fituations. The bark of it is an
obje£t well worthy the attention of phyficians ; and if its
fuccefs upon a more enlarged fcale of praftice prove
equal to Mr Stone’s experiments, the world will be much
indebted to him for communicating them. This bark
will alfo tan leather.
The inner bark of the black poplar is ufed by the in¬
habitants of Kamfchatka as a material for bread ; and
paper has fometimes been made of the cottony down of
the feeds. The roots have been obferved to diflblve into
a kind of gelatinous fubdance, and to be coated over
with a tubular crudaceous fpar, called by naturalids o/?e-
* See CJIeo-ocolla*, formerly' imagined to have fome virtue in produ-
Q*lla. cing the callus of a fraftured bone. The buds of
the fixth fpecies are covered with a glutinous refin,
which fmells very drong, and is the gum tacamahaca
of the Ihops. The bed, called, from its being colleft-
ed in a kind of gourd-fhells, tacamahaca in Jhells, is
-fomewhat unftuous and foftifli, of a pale yellowilh or
greenifh colour, an aromatic tade, and a fragrant de¬
lightful fmell, approaching to that of lavender or am-
bergrife. This fort is vary rare ; that commonly found
in the (hops is in femitranfparent globes or grains, of a
whitifli, yellowifh, brownifh, or greenilh colour, of a
lefs grateful fmell than the foregoing. This refin is faid
to be employed externally by the Indians for difeufling
and maturating tumours, and abating pains in the limbs.
. It is an ingredient in fome anodyne, hyderic, cephalic,
and domachic pladers ; but tire fragrance of the finer
fort fufficiently points out its utility in other re-
fpeefs.'1
M. Fougeroux de Bondaroy, from afet of experiments
Vol. XV. Part I.
Pup.ultu
II . -
Porcelain.
*
larger than the fruit; the dyle femibifid, long, and
permanent; the digmata globular; the perianthium bi-
valved. r
PORCELAIN, a fine kind of earthen ware, chief-1#
ly manufactured in China, and thence called China- cclain.^0^"
ware. All earthen wares which are white and femi¬
tranfparent are generally called porcelains: but a-
mongd thefe, fo great differences may be obferved,
that, notwithdanding the fimilarity of their external
appearance, they cannot be confidered as matters of
the fame kind. Thefe differences are fo evident, that
even perfons who are not connoifleurs in this way pre¬
fer much the porcelain of fome countries to that of
others. a
The word porcelain is of European derivation ; none Origin of
of the fyllables which compofe it can even be pronoun- the namA
ced or written by the Chinefe, whofe language com-
3 C prehends
(a) We have feen it above 30 feet high*