FOREST TREES. 



of Bedford grows at Wcburn Abbey above 350 different kinds. The 

 propagation of the willow by cuttings, and even of some species by 

 inserting large branches in the ground, is easier than that of any 

 other tree. 



Another notable river tree is the Alder (Almis glutinosa, fig. 942). 

 It grows in the water, or on the banks beside the water in boggy 

 places ; and some writers go so far as to 

 declare that it has a tendency to create a 

 swampy place. We use the alder freely 

 beside the water to hide the buildings of the 

 paper-mill, and in the adjoining park there 

 are some fine single trees of picturesque 

 appearance. 



The common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior] 

 grows so freely in my ground, that it must 



FIG. 942. Alder. 



be considered a weed and a nuisance, as 



seedlings continually come up where . they are not wanted, and, if 

 not removed, grow so rapidly as to stifle the surrounding shrubs. 

 The ash is distinguished by the bold and rugged outline of its 

 branches ; it is an imposing tree as we see it in the valleys of 

 Scotland. There is a weeping variety, which is very useful to make 

 an artificial covering. We have one on the croquet-ground, with a 

 seat underneath ; and close to Wallington Bridge we have another, 

 which forms a dark bower to protect us from the fierce rays of the 

 sun in the summer months. At the Zoological Gardens of London 

 the weeping ash is judiciously used to protect the visitors at the 

 entrance, and also the animals in the interior of the grounds. It 

 grows rapidly in good soil, but slowly in a dry place, and there 

 requires manure to develop it quickly. 



Virgil, contrasting it with other trees, says of the ash : 



" Fraxinus in silvis pulcherrima, pinus in hortis, 

 Populus in fluviis, abies in montibus aids." 



One of the greatest ornaments of mountain scenery, the Mountain 

 Ash (Pyrus aucuparia), is of a different genus from the common ash : 



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