266 THE ASHES 



are not borne on separate trees or even on separate limbs. 

 Its good qualities will certainly justify earnest efforts to 

 grow it on soils suited to it, and even to experiment with 

 it on other than in limestone regions, for it may thrive on 

 others if fertile. 



BLACK ASH : Fraxinus nigra 



THIS tree stands alone in its class. It is essentially a 

 swamp tree and flourishes best in the cooler sections of the 

 country. Its range is from Maine to Virginia and westward 

 to Minnesota. It will not thrive well on dry ground, and its 

 successful cultivation can be carried on only in its chosen 

 home, and as the location in which it will grow can seldom 

 produce anything better it might be well to plant it there, 

 as its wood is useful for many purposes. Its tendency is 

 to grow tall, frequently reaching eighty or ninety feet in 

 height, with a diameter rarely exceeding thirty inches, but 

 sometimes reaching three feet. When grown in a fairly 

 close stand it has but few limbs on the lower part of the 

 stem, with slender upright ones at the top. " Burls," which 

 may be cut into veneers and used for inlay work, frequently 

 form on the otherwise clean portion of the stem. 



The wood is heavy, tough, coarse-grained, rather softer 

 than that of the other Ashes, heartwood dark brown, with 

 nearly white sapwood, and not durable when exposed to 

 the ground. There is a marked difference between the 

 spring and summer wood. There are numerous and coarse 

 ducts in the former which permit the annual layers to be 

 easily separated. This allows it to be split tangentially for 

 hoops, baskets, and chair bottoms. Sometimes the annual 

 layers are darkly veined. They are always prominent. The 

 medullary rays are small, numerous, but not at all conspic- 

 uous. Its general use is for cheap furniture and interior 

 finish. 



The flowers and fruit are similar to those of the White 

 Ash, except that the seed and wing of the White Ash are 



