EEV. DE. GEE FAMOUS TREES IX HEKTEOEDSHIKE. 5 



to the indispensable thing, hook, and, perhaps also, to the valuable 

 thing bacon. In this county of Hertford it has more variety in its 

 way of growth than any other tree which I have observed.* We 

 see the difference not far from here. The beech close to the 

 Langleybury Parsonage, which seemingly has always stood out by 

 itself, is a model of what a fully developed tree may become. It 

 scai'cely seems to have lost a twig from the first. It was carefully 

 ironed in Mr. Whittingstall's time. The hardest thing you can say 

 of it is that it is too perfect to be picturesque. An artist would 

 choose a tree more twisted and deflected. At Ashridge you may 

 see the contrary form of elegance which a beech will take, when 

 crowded ia its nursery, and, as the expression is, "etiolated" by 

 too close proximity of its neighbours. Then it will run up straight 

 as an aiTow and upright as a dart, or "a rod of steel," as my 

 correspondent describes such beeches. He who does not go, before 

 this very October is out, to see the King and Queen beeches at 

 Ashridge, does not deserve to sit under trees or biographers of 

 trees. These royal trees, girthing only 11 feet or 11 feet 6 inches 

 — the lady is the stouter — run up, I am assured, 85 feet before 

 throwing a branch. If you journey thither, mind that you go 

 straight to the trunk and stand close up to the very stem. Then 

 look at all the glory of the olive-grey, smooth, clean shaft. 



Limes are known by their employment by all carvers, and 

 notably by that prince of carvers, Grinling Gribbons, in the pro- 

 duction of his choice works. It is said that the wood is not only 

 smooth-grained and beautiful in its enduring colour of pale yellow 

 or almost straw or creamy wliite, but that it is also insect proof. 

 I would inform any who may have had a lime blown down in 

 the recent gale, or who, as myself, have been compelled to cut 

 down a lime, that it should not be sold cheap. It is worth about 

 3s. per cubic foot, as it lies, and is employed to make the keys of 

 pianos, for which its little tendency to warp makes it valuable. f 



Of the ash I will only say that Gilpin, having pronounced the oak to 

 be the Hercules of woods, calls the ash the Venus. I myself always 

 reserve the title of Lady of the Woods for the birch. Gardeners, 

 it seems, in some places, time the planting out of their bedding 

 stuff by the appearance of the ash leaf, and remove this tender 

 material when the leaves fall. It is peculiarly tough wood, and 

 the stoutest oar, tool shaft, or lance handle is always made of ash.:{: 

 But it is considered a dull tree, coming out late and going off soon, 

 and without any bright colour on its rather thin foliage. 



* There are three styles of the beech. Yoiir Ashridge instance, a rod of steel. 

 Then, the apple-tree topped Surrey style, with its trunk painted in three colours 

 — white, grey, and dark green. These great patches show no doubt the unkind- 

 liness of the stunted plant, but dear are they to the landscape painter. Then, 

 lastly, there is our noble Dean Forest style of giants with as much height as 

 yoiu- Ashridge specimens, but with massive boles and perfect heads. Such trees 

 amply justify Spenser's epithet — the "warlike beech." — Correspondent. 



t Of course only such parts of the wood as are perfectly free from knots are 

 available for this delicate purpose. I am informed on good authority that the 

 cost when ready for keys is about one shilling " per foot in the inch." 



X " The ash for nothing ill." — Spenser. 



