5 o8 



THE ELM. 



them a blurred and thickened look. When April comes, bunches 

 of fruit replace these flowers, and to them even more than to the 

 young leaves now unfolding is due the early greenness, especially of 

 the Wych Elm. 



In May, branches as well as trunk are pointed all over with 

 regular dots of bright green, a great contrast to the skeleton lines of 

 the Ash-tree foliage, or the tufts of pink and yellow on the Oak. 

 With July the leafage reaches its perfection. The sunshine streaming 

 on the masses of foliage, leaves green hollows in deep shadow ; on 

 the further side of the tree there are tints of grey (bluer in tone 

 than the greys of the oak foliage, which incline to red), and here 

 and there, where the sunlight passes through detached leaves, brilliant 

 patches of yellow-green. The play of light and shadow in the foliage, 

 and the severity of the outline, built up of straight lines, give an 

 aspect of breadth to the tree, and the small size of the leaf prevents 

 that effect of hardness which distinguishes the foliage of the 

 Sycamore. 



