The Yews 



Yews were planted in churchyards, especially in the south 

 of England. Could any dirge be sadder than the lines above 

 quoted, or any tree a better symbol of inarticulate grief? There 

 was another idea that probably was considered to lighten the 

 gloom of funereal thoughts. The yew is one of the long-lived 

 trees. It was regarded in some quarters as the emblem of immor- 

 tality. The name, yew, is believed to come from the same root as 

 ewig, the German word meaning "everlasting." 



In the early wars the yeoman drew a long bow made of the 

 tough wood of his native yew. Spenser called the tree "the 

 shooter eugh." The English soldier lent his bow; the Frenchman 

 drew his. The former was too heavy to lift. Bishop Latimer 

 describes its use by the soldier on the battlefield: 



" Keeping his right hand at rest upon the nerve, he pressed 

 the whole weight of his body into the horns of his bow." 



Beside its toughness and elasticity, the wood has other 

 admirable qualities. It lasts indefinitely in soil and exposed to 

 the weather. Its grain is often as handsome as mahogany. The 

 roots often show wavy areas, which when polished and made into 

 tables vied in beauty with the ancient and precious citron wood. 

 Burs of yew were a favourite veneer for tea caddies. 



The best soil for yew trees is chalk, hence the tree grows its 

 best in the Channel counties of England. Yet even in Scotland 

 famous trees of remarkable age are recorded. The Fotheringal 

 (Fortingall) Yew, 57 feet in circumference, proved by the rings of 

 its stump that it had lived almost 3,000 years "a world-old yew 

 tree." "Addison's Walk," at Glasnevin, Ireland, lies between two 

 rows of ancient yews. A close-bodied, compact tree, and tonsile 

 beyond any other, the yew has always been a tree to cut into gro- 

 tesque and geometrical forms for the adornment of gardens in 

 England and on the Continent. In the United States it is similarly 

 employed where formal effects are desired. The tree is also grown 

 and allowed to take its normal shape and reach what size it wi- 

 lt is offered by nurserymen in many varieties. 



The Pacific Yew (Taxus hrevijolia, Nutt.) A tree \v.'> 

 broad head, of long, horizontal, pendulous limbs, and trunk ir: ^ 

 ularly lobed and flattened. Bark thin, covered with purpi., 

 scales. Wood heavy, hard, strong, red. Leaves short, 1 ik 

 2-ranked, pale beneath, yellowish. Flowers dioecious, mir '^ 

 in leaf axils. Fruit a translucent, scarlet berry. Prefer: 



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