THE BIRCH AND THE HORNBEAM 



15? 



heavy shadows. Against the delicate grace 

 of the Birch it appears ahiiost ungainly. 

 Breaking into branches generally rather 

 low down, these rise stift and spreading 

 in a way that would seem to justify the 



THE HOKNBEA.M IN EAKLY SPRING. 



description " cabbage headed." Yet the 

 Hornbeam has a character of its own which 

 is distinctly interesting ; and, at certain 

 seasons, a beauty which on its own lines is 

 unsurpassed. Unfortunately the tree has 

 endured much hard treatment in the past, 

 for its wood pro\-es very serx'iceable for 

 the cottagers' fires. Where Hornbeams 

 abound, as in Ep])ing Forest, every tree 

 has been roughly pollarded and all 

 character lost. When allowed to li\e 



its own free life it has much in common 



with the Beech, which, in fact, it so 



resembles in many features that it has 



doubtless often been mistaken for that 



tree by the casually observant ; hence 



its reputation for 



being more rare 



than it is. 



In winter its 

 long ascending 

 branches should 

 be noted. In 

 some situations 

 and seasons its 

 dried brown 

 leaves still re- 

 main attached, as 

 do those of the 

 Beech; and, 

 longer still than 

 these, the ripe 

 fruit clusters. 



In spring, when 

 its full grown 

 multiplied catkins 

 of pollen-bearing 

 flowers clothe the 

 whole tree, whilst 

 the young leaves 

 are yet small 

 and incon- 

 spicuous, the 

 Hornbeam p r e - 

 sents, perhaps, its 

 loveliest appear- 

 ance, adorned as 

 it wore with tassels 

 of silver and tinsel 

 of fine gold, shim- 

 mering in the sun- 

 shine. 



In Slimmer, with 

 leaves fully e.\- 

 panded and so 

 spread, as with 

 the Beech, to intercept every possible 

 light -ray, it shows dense masses of 

 foliage of a rich deep green, but less 

 reflective of light than that of the 

 Beech. 



In aiititmn the first effect of the growing 

 fruit clusters is to make the foliage appear 

 still more dense as fruit and foliage blend 

 together. Later, the foliage thins some- 

 what, but the lengthened fruit -tassels, 

 expanding their full-grown wings, fill 



