THE NEW FORESTRY. IOI 



vermin as the ash, and they fatten upon the bark. The quality 

 of ash timber is much affected by situation. In warm, shel- 

 tered situations it grows fast and is tough, while on cold 

 northern aspects it is " tender." We know woods on northern 

 aspects in which the quality of the ash is so well known to local 

 consumers that they will not buy it, while accepting readily 

 that growing on the south side of the hill under the same 

 conditions, excepting aspect. The texture of the wood can at 

 once be told on applying the woodman's scribe to the end of 

 the tree, and woodmen know the quality of ash timber as soon 

 as they apply the axe. 



ELM. Ulmus montana and Ulmus campestris. Some 

 confusion exists among foresters and timber dealers concern- 

 ing these two elms, the first-named being supposed to be 

 common to Scotland and the latter to England ; whereas the 

 Scotch elm is, if anything, more extensively grown in mixed 

 woods in England than is the English elm, and some of the 

 oldest elm avenues in England are a mixture of the Scotch and 

 English varieties. The timber of the Scotch elm is preferred 

 to the other, is in greater demand, and fetches a higher price, 

 being tougher and often substituted for ash. The two kinds 

 are easily distinguished. The Scotch elm is a tall, free 

 growing tree with sweeping limbs, strong twigs, broad rough 

 leaves, and deeply-furrowed bark in old trees. The English 

 elm, compared to the Scotch, is upright and stiff-looking in 

 habit, denser in its foliage, smaller in leaf, rugged and corky- 

 looking in the bark, and sheds its leaves later than the other. 

 In Yorkshire, timber merchants know the two kinds well, and 

 name the Scotch elm " English " and the English elm " Dutch." 

 The Scotch elm is in good demand at from tenpence to one 

 shilling and twopence per foot English elm fetches less. 



BEECH. Fagus sylvatica. This is a tall-growing tree of 

 vigorous habit, laying on timber fast after middle-age, a good 

 shade-bearer, but bad neighbour in mixed woods, and is best 

 grown by itself, or with spruce and larch, thrives in poor soils, 

 if dry, and at high elevations. The beech is one of the best 

 trees for planting as underwood in thin woods, either as shelter 

 for other trees or covert for game, owing to its shade-bearing 

 power. Timber in fair demand if of good girth ; price from 

 tenpence to one shilling and fourpence per foot. 



SYCAMORE. Acer pseudo pi at anus. It is a rather remark- 

 able fact with regard to this first-class timber-tree that, 

 although it propagates itself more freely than any of our forest 

 trees except the birch, makes a big bole quickly, and fetches 



