TREES WITH A PERSONALITY 21 



a more brilliant picture. The leaves fall all to- 

 gether as if the maples through over-brilliance of 

 colour had literally burned themselves out. 



The elm is typical of the tender and home-loving 

 woman. It is at its best when standing before a 

 lowly cottage door. It is the most easily domesti- 

 cated of the trees. It fits in equally well on a great 

 meadow, along a quiet road or on a college campus. 

 Unusually symmetrical of line, it is very popular 

 for ornamental uses. Nothing is more beautiful 

 than a street of high-arching New England elms. 

 Their homely yet graceful qualities make them ex- 

 ceptionally appropriate among the haunts of men. 



The elm shows a passionate desire for growth and 

 expansion. Its upward, vase-like growth is a sym- 

 bol of eternal yearning. It is noted for covering 

 its trunk with tender green twigs. The many 

 suckers sent up by its roots are usually destroyed 

 by animals or man's ploughing activities. An Eng- 

 lish elm is overjoyed when it finds a nearby hedge. 

 Under this lucky shelter it can develop hundreds 

 of shoots which will eventually supplant the hedge 

 itself. If the surplus is cut away, a fine line of full- 

 grown trees will be the result. 



Who that is country-bred among us is not un- 

 consciously thrown back into his childhood by the 

 sight of the swaying, feathery top of an elm? 



