NOVEMBER. 509 



have sometimes observed, a sort of bushy growth of suckers 

 surrounding it, a little below the angles of the principal 

 branches. The ash is called in Europe the " painter's tree ;" 

 and it would seem, from this fact, that not under all circum- 

 stances must a tree be ugly or ill-shapen to suit the picturesque 

 eye of the great masters of the brush and the canvas. 



The ash is found in all parts of the United States, and is 

 probably more abundant in North America than in any other 

 part of the globe. In the fore«t it rises to a great height, but 

 is, I believe, seldom of a very large diameter. There are only 

 three species which are common in Massachusetts; these are 

 the white, the red, and the black ash. The first is the most 

 common and the most valuable, being, in the qualities of its 

 timber, second only to the oak. All the species have pinnate 

 and opposite leaves, and opposite branches on all the new 

 growth. As the tree increases in size, one of the branches 

 invariably becomes abortive, so that we perceive this opposite 

 character of the branches only in the spray. The leaves are 

 commonly in sevens, and not so large nor so unequal as those 

 of the hickory, though bearing considerable resemblance to 

 them. Most of the trees are dioecious ; and so different an 

 appearance do the male and female trees assume, when in 

 blossom or in fruit, that they are commonly mistaken for 

 different species. 



The white and the red ash are so nearly alike that one 

 must be very familiar with their marks of difference to be 

 able to distinguish them. I believe they do not differ in 

 their general form and appearance, nor in their autumnal tints. 

 The distinction, however, is important on account of the 

 inferior value of the timber of the red ash. The black ash 

 may be readily identified by its leaves, which are sessile and 

 resembling those of the elder, by the dark bluish color of its 

 buds and newly-formed branches, and the slenderness of its 

 proportions. It seldom attains any great breadth or altitude, 

 and is chiefly confined to swamps and muddy soils. Its 

 wood is remarkable for its strength and elasticity. 



But the most important species, on every account, is the 

 white ash. It equals the European ash in size and height. 



