THE ASHES 191 



an ornamental tree, because of its lustrous 

 bright green foliage. It readily adapts itself 

 to new surroundings, and delights in excessive 

 sun-baths. 



The blue ash is, perhaps, the least common 

 of the ashes. Its flowers differ from those of 

 its kin, bearing both stamens and pistils in its 

 plume-like clusters. The tree gets its name 

 from the fact that its bark contains a substance 

 which gives a blue tinge to water. 



The black ash loves the marshes. If you 

 chance upon it in winter, you may recognize it 

 from all its kin by its bluish-black buds. The 

 leaflets, all but the terminal ones, are without 

 stalks. The samara is an oblong seed body, 

 with a notched wing attached all the way 

 around it. This tree is found farther north- 

 ward than any of its American kin. Nor does 

 it seem to be afraid of spring frosts, the leaves 

 coming out early in March with the bravest of 

 the brave. 



The mountain ash is a deservedly popular 

 tree in parks and gardens. Long after all the 

 leaves about have fallen, we find its berries 

 hanging in scarlet clusters — the most cheerful 

 thiugs in Nature. The flowers of the mountain 

 ash are small and white, growing in great flat- 

 topped clusters, often as many as a hundred 



