228 THE ELM. 



avenue of these trees at Strathfieldsaye, the seat of the Duke 

 of Wellington, is a mile in length, and is greatly admired. 



In ancient times the leaves of the Elm were much used 

 as fodder for cattle ; and this is still the case in many 

 parts of the Continent. Evelyn recommends the revival 

 of this practice in England in seasons when the hay- 

 harvest is defective : he states that cattle prefer them to 

 oats, and thrive exceedingly well on them. The inner bark 

 is very tough, and, like that of the Lime, is made into 

 bast mats and ropes ; the timber is fine-grained and tough, 

 and is remarkable for its durability under water. Hence 

 it is highly prized in naval architecture, being used for 

 the keels of large vessels, and many parts of the rigging 

 which are most liable to exposure to wet. It was formerly 

 also much used for making water-pipes, but has within 

 the last few years been almost superseded for this purpose 

 by cast-iron pipes. 



The Elm, growing in a forest, and in good soil, arrives 

 at perfection in a hundred and fifty years, but it will live 

 for five or even six hundred years. Large forest Elms are 

 cut down with advantage when of an age between one 

 hundred and one hundred and thirty years, and then 

 furnish a large quantity of building material. Elms which 

 have been lopped live for a shorter period than others, and 

 should therefore be cut down when no more than seventy 

 or eighty years old. 



A small-leaved species of Elm is selected by the Chinese 

 to be treated in the way described at page 140, as being 

 adopted with regard to the Apple. A young tree is 

 planted in a pot, and surrounded with pieces of rough 

 stone to represent rocks, among which mosses and lichens 

 are introduced. It is not suffered to rise higher than 

 about a foot or fifteen inches. No greater supply of water 

 is given than just enough to keep it alive, and every means 

 is used to give it a stunted appearance. The points of the 

 shoots, and the half of every new leaf, are constantly and 

 carefully cut off; the stem and branches are distorted by 



