THE HOLLY 13 



The Holly will grow in any soil in which water is 

 not absolutely stagnant ; but it prefers a rather dry 

 sandy loam, and, whilst it not only " outdares cold 

 winter's ire," but seems to flourish in the bleakest 

 situations, it does not do well under the shade of 

 other trees. It is generally from ten to forty feet 

 in height, and not more than two or three in girth ; 

 but Hollies at Bleak Hill, Shropshire, are stated to 

 attain a circumference of fourteen feet. The slow- 

 growing, even and hard-grained wood is, except at 

 the centre, as white as ivory, and is valued for turning 

 and inlaying. It stains well, and is therefore used in 

 place of ebony for the black handles of tea-pots, while 

 for engraving it is perhaps second only to boxwood. 



One of the great charms of the Holly is its silvery 

 bark. Smooth on the old stems as in the Beech, but 

 without the glossy sheen of the beautiful Birch, it yet 

 affords a most pleasing contrast to the dark foliage. 

 The young- twigs are light green, and slightly downy. 



It is the foliage, however, contrasting alike with 

 the bright greens of surrounding trees in summer, and 

 with their leafless branches in winter, that gives the 

 chief picturesque value to this " incomparable tree," as 

 Evelyn terms this handsomest of our native ever- 

 greens. The glossy green leaves are associated in 

 Shakespeare's lyric with the pleasures of forest life : 



" Heigh-ho ! the green Holly ! 

 This life is most jolly." 



Southey's well-known poem has popularised the 

 fact that the leaves on the lower boughs are more 

 spinous than those on the upper, suggesting a reason 



