106 THE MOUNTAIN ASH. 



THE MOUNTAIN ASH. 



THE Mountain Ash, or Kowan-tree, is beautiful in all 

 its conditions and at all seasons. Its elegant pinnate fo- 

 liage, not flowing, like that of the locust, but neat, firm, and 

 finely serrate, and its flowers, in large clusters, like those 

 of the elder, render the tree very conspicuous when in 

 blossom. But its greatest ornament is the scarlet fruit 

 that hangs from every branch in the autumn. We could 

 hardly be persuaded to introduce the Mountain Ash into 

 a picture. The primness of its form injures it as a pic- 

 turesque object in landscape. Its beauty is such as chil- 

 dren admire, who are guided by a sense of its material 

 attractions, and do not generally prize a tree except for 

 its elegance and colors. The beauty, however, which at- 

 tracts the sensual eye in this case is deceitful, for its fruit 

 is of a bitter, sour flavor, and incapable of improvement. 

 European writers say that thrushes are very fond of this 

 fruit. In our land it remains untouched, at least until 

 late in the season, after the black cherries are gone, which 

 tempt all kinds of birds by their superior flavor. The 

 American Mountain Ash differs from the European tree 

 only by its smaller fruit. 



I have said that the Mountain Ash is wanting in pictu- 

 resque qualities ; but my remark applies only to its form 

 and habit of growth. On the other hand, it is peculiarly 

 the tree of romance, being remarkable for the many 

 superstitious customs connected with it. According to 

 Evelyn, " There is no churchyard in Wales without a 

 Mountain Ash-tree planted in it, as the yew-trees are in 

 the churchyards of England. So on a certain day of the 

 year everybody in Wales religiously wears a cross made 

 of the wood." Gilpin says that in his time " a stump of 

 the Mountain Ash was generally found in some old burial- 



