REPORT OX HEDGEROW TREES. 107 



to brown in autumn, and the sycamore of a yellowish green to 

 brown. They are valuable on account of their timber, and for 

 this reason are preferable to some that might perhaps be con- 

 sidered more suitable for merely decorative purposes. 



Third group — the Scotch elm (Ulmus montana), English elm 

 (U. campestris), beech (Fagus sylvatica), and purple beech {F. syl- 

 vatica -purpurea). These are all of the same habit of growth, and 

 being wide-spread and rather scattered in their branches, require 

 a good deal of room ; but where that is no object, they are most 

 worthy of a place. They afford capital shelter, and the timber 

 of the former always finds a ready market and brings a good 

 price. Few trees can compare with the purple beech for beauty 

 of foliage or as specimens, the common beech also having fine 

 vellow decaving foliage in autumn, and the elm changing from 

 dark green to brown. 



Fourth group — the birch (Bctula alba), black Italian poplar 

 (Populus monilifeni), Lombardy poplar (P. fastigiata), and Nor- 

 way maple (Acer platanoides). These are all spiral-headed, and 

 finely suited for each other, forming a very gay group indeed. 

 The beautiful white bark and pendulous branches of the birch 

 have a cheerful and lively appearance at all times ; the black 

 Italian poplar, with its towering head and leaves always in 

 motion, changing in autumn from a bright green to a pale yellow, 

 is truly grand ; the Lombardy poplar, with its close-set cypress- 

 like habit, is both attractive and conspicuous ; while the Norway 

 maple is a tree of peculiar beauty, fine habit, and elegantly cut 

 foliage, forming in autumn a splendid specimen — its yellow and 

 purple leaves being retained on the tree for a considerable time 

 render it perhaps one of the finest foliaged hardy trees we have. 

 In this group there is little as regards money value in timber, 

 but the trees give good shelter, and are suitable for ordinary half- 

 moist soil. 



The fifth group comprises the Huntingdon willow (Salix alia) 

 and Abele poplar (Pojndus alba), two very large growing and 

 spreading trees, and extremely suitable for damp situations. 

 Owing to their light and spreading habit they are excellent for 

 shelter, and have pretty silver-grey foliage, which contrasts 

 favourably beside other trees less attractive in this respect. 

 But they are what we may term gross feeders, their roots running 

 to a great distance in search of nourishment, which ought to be 

 kept in check by occasional pruning. Their timber is useful 

 for a variety of purposes. 



The varieties now to be named for the sixth group are much 

 more dwarfish in size than those already enumerated, and may per- 

 haps be considered as belonging more properly to the large shrub 

 class than to the trees, but they seem to me to be really necessary 

 in order to complete the arrangement above indicated. They are 



