CUTTING WALKING-STICKS. 137 



for which there is now a regular trade. Just at present 

 ' natural ' sticks that is, those cut from the stem with the 

 bark on are rather popular, both for walking and for 

 umbrella handles, which causes this kind of search to be 

 actively prosecuted. The best ' natural ' sticks are those 

 which when growing were themselves young trees, sprung 

 up direct from seed or shoots saplings, which are stronger 

 and more pliant than those cut from a stole or pollard. 

 To cut such a stick as this is equivalent to destroying a 

 future tree, and of course a good deal of mischief may be 

 easily done in a short time. 



Another kind of ash stick which is in demand is one 

 round which there runs a spiral groove. This spiral is 

 caused by the bine of honeysuckle or woodbine, and in 

 some cases by wild hops. These climbing plants grow in 

 great profusion when they once get fixed in the soil, and 

 twist their tendrils or ' leaders ' round and round the tall, 

 straight, young ash poles with so tight a grasp as to partly 

 strangle the stick and form a deep screw-like groove in it. 

 When well polished, or sometimes in its rough state, such 

 a stick attract csustomers ; and so popular is this ' style ' 

 of thing that the spiral groove is frequently cut by the 

 lathe in more expensive woods than ash. Wild hops are 

 common in many places, and will almost destroy a hedge 

 or a little copse by the power with which they twine their 

 coils about stem and branch. Young oak saplings, in the 

 same way, are frequently cut ; and the potential tree 



