50 THE WOODLANDS. 



woodland shrub, but sometimes it will be found as 

 an undergrowth. The branches are armed with long 

 straight sharp spines ; and its drooping bunches of 

 bright yellow flowers are succeeded -by clusters of 

 shining bright red fruit. There is in many localities 

 a very strong prejudice against the berberry as a 

 hedge plant, on account of the current opinion that 

 it is in some way the cause of mildew in wheat. 



Loudon says that this tree will live for two or 

 three centuries without increasing much in size. It 

 is found on Mount Etna, Mount Lebanon, and on 

 the slopes of the Himalayas, so that it has a wide 

 range. A medicinal extract is still made in India 

 from the wood and root, apparently identical with 

 that known to the ancients, derived from the same 

 source, two thousand years ago. 



The ELDER 1 is much used in some places for 

 hedges on account of its rapid growth, but beyond 

 this it is thoroughly useless, if we except its juicy 

 berries, which in many country localities still serve to 

 produce a domestic wine, an old-fashioned Christ- 

 mas favourite. In woodlands this shrub, with its 

 malodorous flowers, still lingers amongst the under- 

 growth. It is an antique belief that the strong- 

 smelling flowers of the elder are injurious to health. 

 Evelyn mentions a story of a certain house in Spain 

 being seated amongst elder trees, which diseased and 

 killed almost all the inhabitants, but when the trees 

 were dug up, it became a wholesome place. The elder 

 was considered by the ancients to be emblematical of 



1 Sambucus nigra. 



