160 FOEESTS, WOODS, AND TREES 



Nevertheless, their extended cultivation is of considerable 

 importance, as they supply a useful v^^ood, always in demand 

 for local purposes, and should be introduced into suitable 

 spots in lowland plantations. 



1. Wych elm {Ulmus montana) occurs wild all over 

 Great Britain and Ireland, being a constant companion in 

 woods of sessile oak on siliceous soils and of ash on lime- 

 stone soils. It is much less exacting in its demands on 

 soil and climate than the other species, ascending to a con- 

 siderable height in the mountains, up to 1000 feet in the 

 Pennines. It is very hardy, bears wind and exposure well, 

 and never suffers from spring frosts. Wych elm requires 

 much light and space, forming, when still young, a large 

 crown with wide-spreading branches, and is difficult to 

 grow in plantations on that account. It can, however, be 

 planted with beech in patches in woods in hilly districts 

 and in shelter belts which are alongside conifer plantations. 

 It is the only elm that will thrive in the exposed and colder 

 parts of Ireland, and in most districts of Scotland and the 

 north of England. It is easily raised from seed which 

 ripens in most years. 



2. English elm {Ulmus campestris) is a native of 

 southern England, growing in hedgerows, where it repro- 

 duces itself only by suckers, as fertile seeds are never borne 

 by the tree in this country. It is common in the Thames 

 valley, and southward to the Isle of Wight, westward to 

 Devon, and northward in the basin of the Severn to 

 Hereford, Worcester, and Warwick. Elsewhere in Britain 

 and Ireland it is unknown except as a planted tree, being 

 replaced in Cornwall by the Cornish elm. On the continent 

 of Europe it occurs only in Spain. It requires for its de- 

 velopment a warm climate and unexposed position ; and in 

 northern England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland never 

 thrives except in sheltered favoured spots. It is unsuitable 

 for elevated land in any part of the country. 



Its main value is for planting in hedges around pasture 

 land in the southern and midland counties of England, as 

 it does little injury to grass, and produces a considerable 



