22 



THE ASHES 



There are four species of ash in Canada. The 

 leaves of the ash are compound and they grow in 

 pairs, one on each side of the twig, not alternately 

 like those of the walnut or hickory, and its 

 fruit is a winged seed. The white ash is the 

 most valuable and is found growing from Nova 

 Scotia to southwestern Ontario. The twigs are 

 coarse, and shiny, and the leaflets have stems. 

 The red ash is a smaller tree and has downy twigs. 

 The black ash has all but the terminal leaflet 

 stemless. The green ash, a variety of the red 

 ash, is found from western Quebec to Alberta. 

 It differs from the red ash mainly in the smooth- 

 ness of its branches, leaves and stems. The blue 

 ash is confined to southwestern Ontario in the 

 counties bordering on lakes Erie and St. Clair, 

 but is not very common even 

 there. It can be distinguished 

 from the other ashes by its 

 rather heavy branchlets which 

 are more or less four-sided in 

 cross-section. The wood of the 

 ashes is noted for its toughness 

 and elasticity. The more valu- 

 able species, particularly the 

 white ash, are used for vehicle 

 stock, tool-handles, and interior 

 finish. The mountain ash is 

 not a true ash and is distin- 

 guished by its numerous small- 

 toothed leaflets and its red 

 berries. 



Ash 



