Ulmus ^57 



There are two specimens at Kew, about 20 ft. high, which were obtained from 

 Spath in 1896. These occasionally develop stray branchlets, bearing enormous 

 leaves, 7 in. long by 4J in. broad. 



This is probably not quite the same as Beebe's weeping elm, which was dis- 

 tributed by Meehan as U. fulva, var. pendula, but which, according to Sargent 1 

 is really a form of U. americana. It was propagated from a tree, resembling in 

 habit a weeping willow, which was found growing wild near Galena, Illinois. 



2. Var. aurea, Temple, ex Rehder, in Bailey, CycL Amer. Hort. 1880 (1902). 

 Leaves yellow. This was found in Vermont by F. L. Temple. 



U. americana,' [which is known, on account of the light colour of its bark, as 

 " white elm " in America, is widely distributed, occurring from southern Newfound- 

 land through Canada to the northern shores of Lake Superior and the eastern base 

 of the Rocky Mountains, ascending the Saskatchewan river to lat. 54 30' ; and 

 extending through the United States southwards to Florida, and westwards to the 

 Black Hills of Dakota, western Nebraska, western Kansas, Indian Territory, and 

 the valley of the Rio Concho in Texas. 



The tree does not occur in pure stands, but sparingly in mixture with oak, 

 ash, plane, tulip tree, and other hard woods ; and attains its best development on 

 deep fertile alluvial soil. It, however, readily adapts itself to less favourable soils, 

 and is a hardy tree enduring great extremes of temperature and moisture. It 

 is somewhat intolerant of shade. 2 



This species produces coppice shoots, when the tree is cut down ; and at 

 Hargham, numerous suckers, some of which are now trees 30 ft. in height, were 

 produced after a tree had been felled. No suckers are produced, so far as we know, 

 by living trees either in this country or in America. (A. H.) 



No tree has attracted more attention among American writers, or is more 

 dear to the natives of New England, than the American elm, which is a conspicuous 

 ornament and the favourite shade tree in the older cities, and has quite a literature 

 of its own. 



Though some of the historic trees mentioned by Emerson and other writers 

 are now dead or decayed, there are still many splended survivors of the original 

 forest. Among these none is larger and more symmetrical than the Lancaster Elm 

 in Massachusetts, which Prof. Sargent showed me in May 1904. It grows on deep 

 sandy soil in the rich valley of the Nashua river, and measured 105 ft. by 24 ft. at five 

 feet from the ground. The roots spread so widely that at ground level they are 45 ft. 

 round. The trunk forks at 10 ft. into three tall stems ; and though some holes and 

 cracks show that the tree is past maturity, these wounds have been so carefully 

 stopped with cement, by its owner, Mr. J. E. Thayer, that it may live for many 

 years. Plate 391, for which I am indebted to Mr. A. H. French, of Brooklime, 

 Mass., gives an excellent picture of it. 



A monster elm 8 on the Avery Durfee farm in Wayne County, New York, 



1 Garden and Forest, i. 286 (1889). 

 2 Cf. Pinchot, U.S. Forest Circ. No. 66 (1907), which gives directions for planting this tree in the United States. 



8 Garden and Forest, iii. 60 (1890). 



