62 THE FRUITS OF THE COUNTRY-SIDE 



wheels, and the like, and as an alternative to boxwood for 

 the service of the wood engraver. Its power of resisting 

 decay makes it also very valuable for piles, pumps, and 

 fencing. Gilpin, in his book on trees, declares it to be 

 a common saying amongst the woodmen of the New Forest 

 that a post of yew will outlast a post of iron. 



The leaves of the yew are linear, small, of a sombre 

 green, numerous, glossy, evergreen, arranged in two opposite 

 ranks or series on the stems. 



The distinguish'd yew is ever seen, 



Unchanged bis branch, and permanent his green. — Prior. 



The sombre character of the foliage becomes very 

 marked when contrasted with the surrounding foliage of 

 other trees, or when a large mass or grove of yew-trees is 

 a feature in the landscape. Scott writes of a " dismal 

 grove of sable yew," the trees appearing almost black by 

 contrast with their environment ; and Hood, in his Ode 

 to Autumn, seizes on the same feature and writes of 

 " Mournful cypress and dark yew." The same trees of 

 ill-omen reappear in the lines of Harte, where, in describing 

 some scene of mountain desolation, he tells how — 



Dark cypresses the skirting sides adorned. 

 And gloomy yew-trees wliich for ever mourned. 



Yew as a hedge material has many advantages, it makes 

 a dense screen, is evergreen, bears clipping excellently well, 

 and is, practically, everlasting ; but all these good qualities 

 are vitiated by one fatal defect — its poisonous nature. Our 

 ancestors used the leaves as ,a vermifuge, but found that 

 they not only killed the patient's unwelcome guests, but 

 the patient as well, and this was held by the patient to so 



