June 1885.] EDITORIAL NOTES. 75 



Editorial Kotes. 



The Ash and the Oak. — The time of leafing of these two trees 

 has formed the subject of a correspondence in the Standard. 

 W. H. C. seeks to correct the statement made in May-day leader that 

 it looked as if there would be a dead heat betwixt the two trees ; 

 having observed their comparative development for twenty years, he 

 has never once known the ash to come out before the oak. 

 Granting individual exceptions, the ash has always been second in 

 the race. Thomas Southwell quotes a series of natural history 

 observations, entitled " Indications of Spring," kept by the Marsham 

 family at Stratton Stranless, iSTorfolk, commenced in 1736, and 

 continued to the present year, which show, in a record for eighty- 

 five years, the oak came into leaf first on fifty-two occasions, the 

 ash on twenty-seven ; while there are six instances of the leafing of 

 both trees happening on the same day. The mean time for the 

 leafing of the oak for one hundred and five annual observations is 

 April 25, and that of the ash for eighty-five observations April 29. 

 On turning to the Cohham Journals, by Caroline Molesworth, Surrey, 

 we find recorded on April 23, 1826 : "Ash and lilacs fl. ; oak fl. 

 above a fortnifiht." 



The Elm. — Miss Omerod, the editress of the journals above alluded 

 to, which were kept from 1826 to 1850, points out that the elm 

 is shown in them to have an 'amplitude of flowering, or difference 

 between the earliest and latest records of first observation, compar- 

 able to that of the sloe and the common laurel. The mean periods 

 of first flowering observed during twenty-four years were respectively 

 fifty-seven, sixty, and one hundred and fifty-two days. But the elm 

 has a large amount of surface-roots ; sloe has also creeping roots, 

 throwing up suckers in every kind of locality ; while the laurel is 

 peculiarly susceptible of cold. The dates of the foliation of the elm 

 vary much in accordance with the characteristics of the season. 

 Thus the latest date recorded is on June 6th, 1837, after three 

 months with deficient temperature and rainfall of little more than 

 half the average. Late defoliation appears to follow or accompany 

 much rainfall ; that in 1826 followed a wet November ; while the 

 still later fall in 1827 was preceded by much rainfall in October. 



