40 



THE ELM. 



squadrons ; to note them, too, when busy in the fields ; yea, even to 

 pick up those fragments of cast plumage, is to me a peculiar pleasure. 

 And yet it is not because of the elms ; I suppose there is no human 

 being of civilized race to whom some such simple thing of nature is not 

 a talisman, 



" Striking the electric chain wherewith we are darkly bound ! " 



Botanically, the elm is distinguished by its curious leaves, simple 

 flowers, and very remarkable fruit, or, as it would be popularly called, 

 remarkable seed. Botanists, however, give the name of " fruit " to the 

 ripened seed and seed-vessel of every plant without distinction. No 

 matter whether fit to eat or not, whether hard and dry, or juicy and 

 tempting, this portion of the plant's produce is still the "fruit," and 

 made thus comprehensive, the term becomes an exceedingly convenient 

 one. The peculiarity of the leaves is that the two sides, or the portions 



Leaves of Elm -tree. 



separated by the midrib or spine, are not only of two different sizes, as 

 happens also in the beech, but that the bases of the two sides spring 

 from different points. A few examples of similar structure occur in 

 other families of plants, but it is nowhere so conspicuous as in the elm. 

 The lateral veins proceed in straight and parallel lines (sometimes fork- 

 ing a little), right away to the margin, as in trees of the oak-tribe ; the 

 margins are deeply and sharply serrated, and the apex runs out to a 

 fine point. Sometimes there is a second projection, which is thrown to 

 one side, making it appear as if we had a leaf and a half combined into 

 a single blade. Ordinarily, the surface is rough, though in some 

 varieties quite smooth ; in autumn the whole substance changes to a 

 uniform though rather subdued yellow, and for some time, dui'ing the 



