ASH 23 



well in London. The timber, which is often up to 

 1 8 inches in diameter, is valuable for making fancy 

 household articles. 



Propagation by seed is recommended, though 

 grafting is sometimes resorted to by nurserymen. 

 Young plants grow slowly, though they root freely 

 and produce nice bushy specimens. 



Ash 31 



(Fraxinus excelsior) 



THOUGH a valuable town tree the Ash is not 

 largely planted in London, and when seen usually 

 occupies the more open and airy parts, being 

 rarely met with in narrow and confined streets or 

 where chemical and other impurities are present in 

 the air. This may be accounted for by the fact that 

 the Ash is not regarded as one of our most ornamental 

 trees, while when compared with others the foliage 

 is late in appearing and early to fall, and, moreover, 

 it has been wrongly represented as unsuitable for town 

 culture. That this is a mistake will, however, be ad- 

 mitted by everyone who has seen the giant specimen 

 in Cavendish Square, which is in perfect health and 

 has attained to a height of fully 70 feet, with a well- 

 rounded bole that girths 9 feet 2 inches, while the 

 far-spreading branches cover a space 90 feet in dia- 

 meter. As far as we know this is the largest Ash tree 

 in central London, though many in the flower garden 

 at Regent's Park and on the banks of the Regent's 

 Canal nearly approach it in size. 



There are also many healthy, well-developed Ash 

 trees throughout the Metropolis, such as in the central 



