OF HARTING. 465 



where its " keys " readily take root, and it is curious 

 to observe that among the many young plants that 

 have strayed on to the commons and roadside wastes, 

 very few individuals are met with without their pro- 

 tective armour of bushes or brambles by which they 

 were " nursed " in their seedling stage. When its buds 

 are bursting in spring the ash is vernacularly said to be 

 " coaling," and those who are learned in " folk-lore " 

 know under what conditions this process portends a 

 coming wet or dry season. 



A noble Plane tree (Platanus Orientalis) is still 

 flourishing in the Kennel Gardens, where many suc- 

 cessive generations of " Clumbers " and other sporting 

 dogs have gambolled in the shade of its broad canopy 

 of beautiful dense foliage ; unfortunately much of its 

 original beauty has been destroyed by the removal of 

 some of its lower branches. Of the eccentric dog- 

 keeper, Sam Phillips, many anecdotes are in the re- 

 collection of his contemporaries ; one which we have 

 from good authority relates to the latter portion of his 

 career, after he had voluntarily left the kennels and 

 turned truffle hunter. A gentleman who knew him 

 well, casually meeting him one day, and being struck 

 by unmistakable evidences of dilapidation in his hunt- 

 ing suit, good naturedly expressed a fear that truffle 

 hunting had not turned out a very fortunate specula- 

 tion. " Oh, I dunno s' much 'bout that, Sir," was Sam's 

 reply, "I gits on middl'n well at it, but I dessay I med 

 do better if I dint happ'n to light wi s' many o' they 

 swing'n sign boords, do what I wool, I never can git 

 by 'em ! " 



The Elm (Ulmus campestris} is not uncommon on 

 the lowland marls and clays from the New Barn on 

 Hurst Farm to East Harting. With a few exceptions, 

 it is found in scattered groups originally planted, in all 

 probability, in the immediate vicinity of old farm- 

 houses, Hill Ash, for instance, Upperton, Weston's, 

 Garrett's, Penn's at East Harting, and many of them 



G G 



