THE LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF HAMPSHIRE. 359 



amptoii, to their credit, have continued to replant young trees in 

 place of the old ones. This species seldom produces fertile seeds, 

 but propagates itself by suckers, which run to a great distance 

 from the parent stem, and have been measured to the length of 

 (30 yards. In 1880, a piece of ground which had been allotted 

 for gardens was laid out for building purposes ; but as operations 

 did not commence till 1886, the land meantime lying dormant, 

 on digging it up in that year elm I'oots were found to have extended 

 30 yards from the adjoining trees. This gives an avei-age of 5 yards 

 or 15 feet in each year, Now this was not poor, but very rich 

 soil, having 2 feet of vegetable mould, then 6 feet of hazel loam 

 down to the gravel, so it could not be for want of nourishment. 



The Wych Elm, Wych Hazel {U. montana). — This is more 

 limited, than the last, but it occurs at widely distant stations in 

 the county. This species is quite distinct, in that it produces 

 fertile seeds and has no suckers. It is not found of larger ffirth 

 than 15 feet 7 inches at Tufton, near Whitchurch, while U. 

 campestris in Broadlands Park has a girth of 24 feet 7 inches. 



Oleace^. — The Common Ash [Fraxinus excelsior). — This well- 

 known tree is not so plentiful in a natui-al state as might be 

 expected, seeing that it produces winged seeds (keys) abundantly. 

 It is the " husbandman's tree," providing him with " plough bote 

 and cart bote," as allowed by the lord of the manor, but has been 

 largely superseded, like the " wooden walls of old England," by 

 iron. The ash is still used for many purposes, and the supply 

 is barely equal to the demand. Many old adages which foretell 

 the weather have fallen into disuse, but I have to record a 

 rather curious fact. On the 25th of May 1887, the buds of the 

 ash had no appearance of life, not even swelled, while the oak was 

 almost in full leaftige. This year (1888), at the same date, the 

 ash is nearly in leaf, while the buds of the oak are just beginning 

 to swell. These are the same trees, and the contrast between 

 the two years is certainly remarkable. The old saying is, that if 

 the oak comes out before the ash the summer will be dry but 

 if the ash is first out then the summer will be wet. 1887 was 

 dry, and we now wait for 1888. 



The Common Privet [Ligustrum vidgare). — This useful shrub is 

 common everywhere in coppices, hedgebanks, etc. It is of little 

 value, except as cover for game or as a hedge plant, and when 

 kept trimmed it becomes almost an evergreen. The most beautiful 

 hedge of it I have seen is at Shelley farm on the Paultons estate. 



