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wide blanks of defolated boughs, amidft foliage 

 yet freih, and verdant. Before it's decay, we 

 fometimes fee it's leaf tinged with a fine yellow, 

 well contrafted with the neighbouring greens. 

 But this is one of nature's cafual beauties. 

 Much oftener it's leaf decays in a dark, muddy, 

 unpleafmg tint. And yet fometimes, notwith- 

 flanding this early lofs of it's foliage, we fee 

 the am, in a flickered fituation, when the 

 rains have been abundant, and the feafon mild, 

 retain it's green, (a light pleafant green) when 

 the oak and the elm, in it's neighbourhood, 

 have put on their autumnal attire. 



Another difagreeable circumftance attends 

 the am, which is indeed it's misfortune, rather 

 than it's fault. It's leaf and rind are nutritive 

 to deer; and much ufed in browzing them 

 in fummer. The keepers of the foreft there- 

 fore feek out all the afh-trees they can find, 

 which are for this purpofe mang,led and de- 

 formed. 



One thing more I fhould mention with 

 regard to the am, as it is of pifturefque na- 

 ture, and that is the beauty of its roots, 

 which are often finely veined, and will take 

 a good polifh. Dr. Plot, in his natural hiftory 



D 3 of 



