ON' THE CAUSE OF RINGSHAKE IN TREES. 197 



timber. These growing with a gradual bend almost semi- 

 circular, and then growing quite straight, you may fancy, loaded 

 as they were with numerous branches, what a force of wind 

 they would catch. Tliis tree when cut down was found to be 

 sorely ringshaken for at least a third of its entire height, and 

 while being sawn up the planks fell into pieces. The soil and 

 subsoil on which it grew was exactly similar to those on which 

 these have been growing ; and those limbs on the chestnut and 

 elm trees, " though not so proportionally heavy as those growing 

 upon the silver fir I have referred to, yet, I believe, being more 

 openly exposed than the silver fir," is undoubtedly the cause of 

 ringshaking in them. Then what effect do you believe the frost to 

 have had upon these trees ? In regard to the silver fir, it would 

 have very little, as it was clothed with branches almost to the 

 ground, and these would prevent frost from affecting it as much as 

 a deciduous tree. The ground is comparatively dry round the 

 places where the chestnut and elm trees have been growing, but 

 should it have occurred frequently as well as severely during the 

 time these trees were growing there, it may have helped to produce 

 riugshake in them. Now, let us take these men along with us 

 to this mixed plantation growing upon the face of the hill. We 

 shall find all kinds of soils and subsoils there. Here is another 

 Spanish chestnut, with its ligneous tissues arranged somewhat 

 spirally. Cut it down, and see how it is affected. You observe 

 its top is formed very s}Tiimetrically, and has no heavy limbs of 

 consequence. The soil is of a mossy loam 6 inches deep, resting 

 upon a rock of gray sandstone, somewhat raised above the line 

 of the others growing round it. We find this one sound. How 

 could you account for the soundness of this one ? Its top is 

 symmetrically formed. The north-east and south-west winds are 

 most prevalent. Now this heavy silver fir is much higher, and 

 well furnished with branches, which protect it from the north-east 

 winds, and, though near the margin of the plantation, those 

 well-furnished Scotch firs protect it from the south-west winds. 

 I believe its roots are nearly equally distributed all round like 

 those of its branches — hence its soundness. 



Here is an elm growing rather isolated, all covered with 

 lichen, and showing little signs of vitality. Cut it down. It is 

 growing on mossy loam 10 inches deep resting upon hard 

 gravelly till subsoil. Like the majority of our elms, its habit of 

 growth is somewhat straggling, and it has five heavy limbs 

 growing out from the stem at various distances from the ground. 

 When cut, you see it is much ringshaken. Now% here we have 

 a subsoil quite different from any w^e have hitherto come upon ; 

 but this tree's habit of growth is somewhat similar to that of 

 the Spanish chestnut and elm w^e found ringshaken in the 

 hedgerow. What is the cause in this case ? The cause is 



