248 



AUTUMN AND WINTER 



The bark of the wild cherry has much the same pecu- 

 liarities as that of the birch. It is thin, pale and glossy, 

 though less brilliantly silvery ; it flakes away in the same 

 transverse strips ; and it often becomes split and scarred, 

 showing a dark woody growth. But in general appear- 

 ance the birch and the wild cherry are very different. 



The cherry has a variety 

 of growth something like 

 the alder. Most young 

 trees have an upright 

 stem, and stiff horizontal 

 branches ; but in old speci- 

 mens the branches become 

 long and twisted, and the 

 head of the tree takes a 

 broad and rounded outline. 

 With its torn and scarred 

 bark, an old wild cherry- 

 tree has a shaggy and 

 rugged appearance, often 

 increased by the dark and 

 tangled growth of one or 

 two witches' brooms. 

 The lime and the Spanish chestnut are two trees often 

 found in close neighbourhood in parks and old gardens. In 

 every respect but size they present a marked contrast. The 

 lime is rather the larger of the two, and sometimes becomes 

 very tall when grown in a clump or close avenue. On the 

 other hand, when standing isolated it usually forms a very 

 rounded head, and sometimes attains an immense spread of 

 bough. The sweet or Spanish chestnut is a tree of about 

 the same size as the lime, though it seldom or never grows 

 as tall as the tallest specimens ; but it is conspicuous for the 



WILD CHERRY WITH WITCHES' BROOMS 



