218 THE ELM. 



very valuable, -even when of a small size, for cutting up 

 into herring-band staves. Old trees which are full of 

 knots may be made into tables and chairs, which, if 

 protected from insects by French polish, are both beautiful 

 and durable. The charcoal is highly valued in the manu- 

 facture of gunpowder, for which purpose it is in some 

 places largely planted. The colour of the wood when first 

 cut is white : it soon, however, becomes of a bright red, 

 which afterwards fades into pink, which is its permanent 

 hue. Few river- side wanderers have failed to notice the 

 bright tints of the chips and newly-hacked trunks which 

 have here and there marked the recent labours of tbe 

 woodsman. The bark and young shoots are used for 

 tanning as well as for dyeing several tints : combined 

 with iron it produces a very good black. The Alder is 

 increased either by seeds or by truncheons, the latter 

 method being preferred in places which are liable to bo 

 overflowed, and where consequently a firm hold in the 

 ground is desirable. Several varieties are cultivated with 

 leaves cut like those of the Hawthorn and Oak, and these 

 frequently attain a large size. 



THE ELM. 



ULMUS. 



Natural Order 

 Class PENTANDBIA. Order DIGYNIA. 

 OF this tree, to which the cultivated parts of England are 

 so much indebted for the richness of their landscape, thera 

 are many varieties. No less than eighteen are described 

 by London, which are all referred to the commonest species, 

 Ulmus campestris. It is not necessary heie to supply 

 even a catalogue of these, and it would be impossible 

 to point out the distinctive characters of each without 

 entering into a tedious and unprofitable description, which 

 the reader, if he wishes to study the Elms botanically, 



