DECIDUOUS TREES. 9 



CHAPTER II. 



DECIDUOUS TREES. 



THE ASH Fraxinus. There are many varieties of the ash, 

 all more or less valuable both as ornamental shade trees and for 

 timber uses. The European ash fraxinus excelsior is a lofty 

 tree, with more of a spreading head than our American 

 fraxinus Americanus varieties, and is the one generally grown 

 and sold at the nurseries. As a street tree, along suburban or 

 country roads, and for creating apparent elevations in landscape, 

 or for forming the point tree of a background, both the European 

 and American are good. We prefer the European for street 

 planting, and the American for effect in the landscape, but use it 

 only in grounds of considerable extent. 



For places of small extent, both the European and American 

 are of too large growth. A rich, deep, and moist, almost wet, 

 soil suits the ash best ; but it succeeds well in almost any soil or 

 Situation, being very hardy and entirely free from insects. 



Of the fancy varieties, the GOLD-BARKED (aurea) is most 

 notable, because of the bright yellow of its branches, forming 

 with its singular contorted or irregular, upright, spreading 

 growth a conspicuous object in winter. The WILLOW-LEAVED 

 (solid/olio) has narrow wavy leaves, and is perhaps one of the 

 strongest growers ; while the MYRTLE-LEAVED (mridis) is of a 

 stunted or dwarfed habit with very dark green myrtle-like 

 leaves, and is valuable only as a curiosity, or for a position on 

 the point of two diverging roads or paths ; and for this latter 

 purpose perhaps a better variety is one under the name of 

 DWARF GLOBE-HEADED, which originated with Messrs. Ellwanger 



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