ELM 55 



when aged, in a diseased condition and freely 

 attacked by both insects and fungi. 



Judging from the size to which this tree attained 

 in the past, it is evident by the large specimens at 

 Hyde Park, Lambeth Palace, Bermondsey, and other 

 parts of London, the English Elm is now less suitable 

 for culture in districts where smoke and chemical 

 fumes have increased of late years. 



The Cornish Elm (U. campestris cornubiensis) 

 succeeds well in London, as the numerous large 

 healthy trees that are to be found, especially in the 

 more open parts, demonstrate. For town planting it 

 has several recommendations, such as narrow branch 

 spread and usually neat, well-furnished appearance. 



Some of the largest specimens are growing in 

 the Royal parks, many being 80 feet high, with a 

 stem girth at a yard up of 8 feet. 



The Mountain, Scotch, or Wych Elm (U. montana) 

 is a native species that is readily distinguished from 

 the English by the larger and rougher leaves, which 

 are also longer, pointed, and more deeply serrated. 

 Unlike that tree, too, it does not produce root suckers, 

 but bears seed in abundance. The Scotch Elm is of 

 spreading growth, with heavy, diverging limbs, and 

 rarely attains to so great a height or produces so clean 

 a stem as the English tree. For town planting it is 

 a dangerous tree on account of the heavy branches, 

 brittle timber, and liability to disease. There are many 

 so-called varieties of the Elm, a few being constant 

 and worthy of distinction, but many not so. The 

 great difference in form assumed by the leaf of the 

 Elm has induced some authors to suppose that the 

 varieties are numerous, but the intermediate dis- 

 tinctions between any two of the most strongly marked 



