TREES ATTRACTORS OF HUMIDITY. 61 



the advance of the winter season so early as the 

 wych elm. A few others may manifest its ap- 

 proach nearly as soon,' but they become augmented 

 in splendour by a touch of the frosty air, not 

 ruined and denuded like our elm, which contri- 

 butes no grandeur, no beauty, to our autumnal 

 scenery, as its leaves curl up, become brown, 

 and flutter from their sprays, when growing 

 in exposed situations, as early often as the mid- 

 dle of September, by constitutional mechanism 

 alone, even before the beech or the maple seems 

 sensibly affected by the cold. This character of 

 itself marks a difference from the common elm, 

 which preserves its verdure, except from accidental 

 causes, long after this period ; and then, when its 

 season arrives, the foliage becomes tinged with a 

 fine, mellow, yellow hue, contributing a full share 

 with other trees to the character and splendour of 

 autumn. The wych elm may occasionally be de- 

 sirable in the few days that our northern summer 

 requires its deep shades, but will not otherwise 

 afford pleasure or beauty in the shrubbery or 

 the park as an ornamental tree, as its leafless 

 sprays announce too early the unwelcome termina- 

 tion of our floral year, and its sober russet foliage 

 is scattered at our feet without preparation or a 

 parting smile. 



Trees in full foliage have long been noted as 

 great attractors of humidity, and a young wych 



