OF EDUCATION 75 



a light reddish-brown, quite like that of the black 

 cherry. It is rather heavy and fibrous. The ducts 

 are quite large, and the silver-grain is easily seen 

 and sparkles when held to the light. The rays are 

 very fine. The pith is quite soft. The wood is very 

 hard and tough, and is used for a variety of purposes, 

 such as frames for chairs and sofas, handles for ham- 

 mers, rakes, hoes, and shovels, bows, oars for boats, 

 and other things. 



" The white ash has a compound leaf, with gener- 

 ally five leaflets. They grow opposite on the stem, 

 with one odd one at the top. The leaf varies in 

 length, from six to about ten inches including the 

 petiole. The top leaflet is much the largest, being 

 about four inches and a half in length and three 

 inches wide. The other leaflets are about all differ- 

 ent in size and shape. The upper side of the leaflets 

 is of a dark green color, but the under side is of a 

 light silver green color. The veinlets and the mid- 

 veins are raised up on the under side and are also of 

 a very light silver color. The shape of the leaflets is 

 ovate and pointed, and the apex is rather blunt. 

 The margin is serrate and the teeth are rather far 

 apart. The petiole is nearly round, and is of a light 

 yellowish-brown color. The petiolules are very short 

 and are of about the same color as the petiole. They 



