AMERICAN ELDER 



The American Elder is one of the choicest of our 

 native shrubs, and is such a familiar figure in northern 

 fields and by northern roadsides that its beauty passes 

 unnoticed, and the plant is foolishly and ruthlessly 

 cut down even when no use is made of the land so 

 despoiled. It marks a great advance in the intellect- 

 ual cultivation of the individual when he is able to 

 appreciate the beauty of familiar things, and does not 

 wish to destroy an object simply because it is well 

 known. There have been precepts carefully incul- 

 cated, that neat farming involved the destruction of 

 every bush by the fence or wayside. Away with such 

 unlovely wisdom ! Why may not the fence line sim- 

 ulate the hedgerow and, with a little care, take virtu- 

 ally nothing from the cultivated field and add im- 

 measurably to the beauty of the landscape? Why may 

 not the roadside be an arboretum of its own locality ? 



In the flowering season the Elder equals if it does 

 not surpass in beauty and effectiveness the finest of 

 our garden favorites, this bush " foamed over with 

 blossoms white as spray." The high tide of bloom 

 occurs in early July and marks the virtual closing of 

 the great spring flowering period. The flowers can- 

 not be used for indoor decoration, they droop imme- 

 diately upon being cut. 



It is interesting to observe how the great flat cluster 

 divides into fives. There are five large stems and four 

 of these are of about equal size ; the central one is not 

 so long or so strong and it is this which gives the de- 

 pressed look to the cluster. Each stem divides again 

 into five, but one or two of the divisions usually out- 

 strip the others. 



265 



