304 HOW TO GROW GOOD TIMBER. 



autumnal foliage." On this account, Sir T. D. 

 Lauder recommends that " ash trees should be 

 sparingly planted around a gentleman's residence, 

 to avoid the risk of their giving to it a cold, late 

 appearance, at a season when all nature should 

 smile." 



It should be noted that although the ash seems to 

 be so susceptible of cold, it nevertheless ripens its 

 seeds most perfectly in any part of Great Britain ; 

 and besides this, these seeds, or " keys," when 

 naturally sown, come up with the greatest certainty, 

 so that young ash may be removed from the wood 

 and used for planting. 



This renders it easy to cultivate young plants from 

 seed; to which end, when the ripened keys are 

 gathered in the autumn, they should be well examined 

 to see that the seed has not been eaten out by the 

 ash-weevil, as it will most certainly be if a small 

 orifice be observable on one side of the key or samara, 

 just over the seed. 



In growing ash with a view to profit, it is recom- 

 mended to plant it by itself in belts or plantations, 

 which are called ash-holts, as it usually, when well 

 started, grows upwards too fast to be a good nurse 

 to other trees, which latter would suffer from the 

 whipping of the longer heavy flexile stems of the 

 ash.* 



It is too often planted in hedge-rows, where it is 



* Selby says, " The pitting system should always be adopted in 

 planting the ash, for the roots, even in young plants, are too 

 numerous, large, and spreading, to be properly inserted by the 

 splitting or "J" method." We would also add, that they should be 

 planted as soon upon removal as possible. 



