24 CHAPTER III. 



exalted by the Druids, and still praised by the 

 Anglo-Keltic race, must yield in point of utility to 

 the Olive, and in beauty to the Ash. The Oak, like 

 its modern patrons, does not thrive equally well in 

 all localities. On the granite of Dartmoor the King 

 of Trees is stunted to a size that would be convenient 

 for leapfrog, and I have read of Oak trees no bigger 

 than the dwarf Box of our borders. 



A botanical treatise on my shelf alludes to the 

 Olive as " a useful tree, but devoid of beauty." 

 Against this Philistine statement I protest in the 

 name of all those who have learned to love this tree, 

 which, as Harriet King, sweet singer of Italian 

 liberty, has said, " flowers and fruits in a perpetual 

 peace." I will attempt no glowing description, nor 

 will I enlarge upon the associations of the tree ; 

 those who are most familiar with the Olive will be 

 most diffident about describing it ; he who is 

 spell-bound by beauty is seldom lavish of his praise. 

 Professor Fliickiger has written on this point with 

 much insight and good sense. We must wander 

 often and rest long, he truly says, in these ancient 

 Olive groves, in order to become acquainted with the 

 charms that are peculiar to the tree. The venerable 

 trunks which have bestowed food and fuel upon 

 generation after generation should be viewed in the 

 diffused sunlight, with glimpses here and there of the 

 deep blue Midland Sea. 



The form of the Olive is quite altered by 

 cultivation, and it is difficult to know what the 

 growth of the tree would be if it were less heavily 

 cut back. It should be borne in mind that the Olive 

 is a fruit tree, unmercifully pruned and trimmed : it 



