;jJ2 FKAXINUS EXCliUblOR. 



many parts of that coiiiitrv. millc-pails aro made; of thin hoards, sawod length- 

 wise onl of this tree, \)y rolhnt,' thcni into liollow cylinth-rs, and then atlixnig a 

 bottom to oach. l-'nnn tht; sonorons properties of the timber of the ash, com- 

 bined with stniiLMli aiul ehisticity, it is preferred by watchmen, for staves, to 

 anv otheV wood. The roots and knotty parts of tlie irnnk of this tree arc in 

 demand by cabinet-makers, on acconnt of the curious dark lignres formed by 

 their veins, which make a siiiiznlar appearance when wron^ht and polished. 

 Tliere are also certain knotty excrescences in the ash, called brt/sca and inolhisca, 

 which, when cnt and polished, arc remarkably bcantifiil. Ilvelyn remarks in 

 Ins "iSylva," that 'some ash is so cnrionsly cambleleil and veined, that skilful 

 cabinet-makers prize it equally with ebony, and call it green ebony." The ash 

 makes excellent fuel, burning, even when newly cnt. with very little smoke; and 

 it is said to be the best of all woods for smoke-drying herrings. Few other tim- 

 ber trees in England become useful so soon alter plaining, it being fit for walk- 

 ing-canes at four or five years' growth; and for handles to spades and other 

 implements, at nine or ten years of age. " An ash pole," observes Nicol, " three 

 inches in diameter, is as valuable and durable, for any purpose to which it may 

 be applied, as the timber of the largest tree." It is particularly valuable for hop- 

 poles, hoops, crates, handles to baskets, rods for training plants, forming bowers, 

 for light hurdles, and for wattling fences. In Statfordshire, in the neighbourhood 

 of potteries, the ash is cultivated to a great extent, and cut every five or six 

 years for crate- wood. In Kent, and in various places in the neighbourhood of 

 London, the most profitable application of the yoimg ash is for walking-canes, 

 plant-rods, hoops, and hop-poles. For the latter purpose, coppice-woods are cut 

 over every twelve or fourteen years, according to the nature of the soil ; and, for 

 the former purposes, every five or seven years. The ashes of the branches and 

 shoots of this tree afford a very good potash. The bark is used for tanning nets 

 and calf-skins. With the sulphate of iron, it imparts a green or greenish-black ; 

 with the salts of alum, a yellow; and with the acetate of copper, a clear olive- 

 green colour. In many parts of continental Europe, the ash is formed into 

 hedges, and its leaves serve for feeding cattle in autumn, winter, and spring. The 

 leaves and shoots, eaten by cows, are said to give the milk and butter a rank 

 taste: but this does not appear to have been considered a great evil by the 

 Romans, as they recommend the leaves of this tree for fodder next to those of 

 the elm; and Mr. Sydney, of Cowpen, near Morpeth, in Northumberlandshire, 

 who lives in a country where the ash is more abundant than any other tree, says, 

 in a communication to Mr. Loudon, that, " The statement made by several 

 writers, that butter made from the milk of cows which have eaten ash leaves 

 has a disagreeable taste, is certainly not founded in fact." Medicinally, the 

 leaves, bark, seeds, and wood of this tree, are sudorific, diuretic, and febrifugal; 

 the bark having acquired the name of the " cinchona of E^urope." The Arabian, 

 as well as the Greek and Roman physicians, highly extolled the medicinal vir- 

 tues of the seed, which, it is said, is good for the dropsy, stone, and many other 

 diseases. M. De Perthuis states that the sap of the ash is an excellent remedy 

 for the gangrene. For this purpose it is extracted from the leaves by macera- 

 tion ; and from the green wood by putting one end of a branch or truncheon into 

 the fire, and gathering the sap in a spoon as it oozes out from the other end. A 

 decoction of the bark, or of the leaves, has been used as a tonic ; and an infusion 

 of the leaves as an aperient, and as a purgative. They have also been employed 

 in England in adulterating tea. The ash keys, which have an aromatic, though 

 rather bitter flavour, were formerly gathered in a green state, and pickled with 

 salt and vinegar, to be sent to the table as a sauce, or, as Evelyn expresses it, 

 "as a delicate salading." In Siberia, the keys are infused in the water used for 

 drinking to give it Avhai is there considered an agreeable flavour. The leaves 



