THE ELMS 209 



tree," from whose roots the whole race of men sprung. The 

 roots of this mythological tree penetrated the earth to its 

 lowest depths and its giant top supported the heavens. 

 Wisdom and knowledge gushed from its base as from 

 a fountain, and underneath were the abodes of the 

 gods, giants, and the Fates. Superstitions of all kinds 

 have come down with the language of different peoples, 

 making the history of the ash tree a most interesting 

 study. 



A Chinese ash yields a valuable white wax which exudes 

 from the bark of the twigs. F. ornus, Linn., native to 

 south Europe and Asia Minor, exudes a waxy secretion 

 from bark and leaves. This is the manna of commerce. 

 Last but not least of the products of the ash tree are the 

 curious and beautiful contortions of the grain found in 

 ** burls " on the trunks of old trees of many species. These 

 warty excrescences are eagerly bought by special agents for 

 cabinet-makers. Woodwork from these abnormal growths 

 shows exquisitely waved lines when polished, as delicate as 

 those in a banded agate. Fancy boxes, bowls, and other 

 articles brought fancy prices when made of "ram's horn" 

 or "fiddleback" ash, which often went under the trade 

 name of green ebony. The black ash in America is par- 

 ticularly subject to contortions of the grain. 



THE ELMS 



Elms of sixteen distinct species are native to boreal and 

 temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with this 

 single exception: western North America is without a rep- 

 resentative. Europe lias three species, two of which ex- 



