1374 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III. 
which give a knotted character to the leafless branches, before they are fully 
developed ; but which afterwards, from their colour, and their being supported 
on peduncles, look like little tufts of red fringe. The seeds of the elm, also, 
differ in the different kinds. “The inner bark of the elm is slightly bitter 
and astringent; but it does not appear to possess any important quality. The 
substance which exudes spontaneously from it is called ulmine.” (Lindley’s Nat. 
Syst. of Bot., p.179.) Small bladders which possess considerable vulnerary pro- 
perties are found on the leaves of elms, particularly in warm countries. The 
elmis a native of Europe and North America, and part of Asia and Africa, 
extending as far south as the coast of Barbary, and as far north as Russia. 
The elm has been a well known tree since the time of the Romans; and, 
of all the European trees, it is that which is the most generally cultivated, 
and most commonly applied to agricultural purposes. The reasons for 
this preference, no doubt, are, that its culture is extremely easy ; its growth 
rapid; and that it will thrive in almost any soil or situation. It may also 
be transplanted, with comparative safety, at almost any age; and the timber 
will remain uninjured for a greater length of time than any other, when 
exposed to moisture. To counterbalance these advantages, the timber is 
very apt to shrink and warp, unless it be constantly moist, or the wood be 
kept for several years, after it is cut, before it is used. The tree, while in a 
living state, is also very often attacked by insects; and the timber is liable to 
become worm-eaten. Trees grown on a dry soil, and singly, make the best 
timber ; but they are neither so large nor so long-lived as those grown in a 
moister soil, which form what is called in France /e bois gras. | Notwith- 
standing this, the elm will not thrive in very moist soil, as it is by no means 
an aquatic tree, like the alder. The wood of elms that have been frequently 
pruned becomes knotted; and this wood, when polished, is very ornamental. 
To obtain it, the trees in France are sometimes kept lopped, and headed down 
every three or four years. The variety called the twisted elm (orme tor- 
tillard) is also much esteemed for its wood; as arethe monstrosities, or knobs, 
found occasionally on all the species of elm; and which, when cut into thin 
slices, and polished, are kept by cabinet-makers for the purpose of veneering. 
The elm is remarkable for the aptitude of the different species to vary from 
seed ; so much so that it is extremely difficult to say in this genus which are 
species and which are varieties; or even to what species the varieties belong. 
To us it appears, that there are only two sorts which are truly distinct ; 
viz. U, campéstris and U. montana. U. americana, we are assured by Mr. 
Masters of Canterbury, who has paid great attention to the genus, and raised 
many sorts, both from American and’ European seeds, is identical, or apparently 
so, with what is called the Huntingdon elm; a variety raised at Huntingdon, 
between 80 and 90 years ago, from seeds gathered from trees in that neigh- 
bourhood. U. glabra and U. major seem intermediate between U. campés- 
tris and U. montana. _ U. effiisa appears very distinct; but is probably only 
a variety of U.campéstris. Of all the numerous varieties which may be 
procured in British nurseries, the best kinds for cultivation for their timber 
appear to be, the Huntingdon elm (U. m. glabra vegtta), and the wych elm 
(U. montana); and for ornament, the weeping elm (U. montana péndula), 
the subevergreen elm (U. campéstris virens), and the twiggy elm (U. cam- 
péstris viminalis). The sucker-bearing elms are chiefly the varieties of U. 
campéstris, and these seldom produce seeds; but U. montana, and U. m. 
glabra, and their varieties, which never throw up suckers, produce seeds in the 
greatest abundance every year. U. campéstris does indeed produce seeds 
occasionally, though rarely, in England; and the U. c. viminalis is a British 
seedling. In France, U. campéstris ripens seeds much more freely, and these 
have given rise to many varieties. 
2 1. U.campr’stris L. The English, field, or common small-leaved, Elm. 
Identification. Lin. Sp. Pl., 827.; Willd. Sp. Pl., p. 1824.; Host Fl. Austr., 1. p. 330. ; Sm. Engl. 
FL, 2.p. 20. ; Lindl. Synops., p. 226. ; Hook. Br. Fl, ed. 2., p.141.; Mackay Fl. Hibernica, pt. 1. p. 240. 
