ELM FAMILY 



great size, or because of some greai event occurring beneath 



tlieir branches. For example, the Washington Ehii in Cam- 

 bridge, Massachusetts, is so called 

 because beneath its shade Gen- 

 eral Washington is said to have 

 hrst drawn his sword, on taking 

 command of the American arm\. 

 Tlie famous treaty of William 

 f-'enn with the Indians was made 

 beneath the branches of an enor- 

 mous elm, which remained stand- 

 ing in the suburbs of Philadel- 

 phia until 1810, when it was 

 blown down. Its site is marked 



by a marble column and its age was estimated to be two 



hundred and thirty-three years. 



White Elm, Ulma^ .iinni 

 as Yz' long. 



SLIPPERY ELM. RED ELM 



Ulnnts pub('sccns — UUnus fiilva. 



Ficlvdy reddish yellow, refers to the color of the wood. Pubt'sccns^ 

 downy. Slippery characterizes the inner bark. 



Common. Sixty to seventy feet in height, trimk sometimes two 

 feet in diameter and spreading branches which form a broad, open, 

 flat- topped head. Prefers banks of streams and fertile hillsides ; 

 roots fibrous. Ranges from St. Lawrence River to Florida and 

 throughout the entire Mississippi valley. 



Bark. — Dark brown tinged with red. divided by shallow fissures, 

 and covered with large loose plates. Branchlets stout, bright green, 

 later light brown, finally dark gray or brown. 



Wood. — Dark brown or red ; heavy, hard, close-grained, strong, 

 tough, durable in contact with the soil, and easy to split while green. 

 When boiled or ste.imed it becomes very flexible. Used for fence 

 posts, railway ties, sills of buildings, agricultural iinplements. Sp. 

 gr., 0.6956 ; weight of cu. ft , 43.35 lbs. 



WintiT Buds. — Leaf-l:)ud5 ovate, rather obtuse, one-fourth of an 

 inch long, covered with tawny hairs. Flower-buds larger than leaf- 

 buds. Inner scales enlarge with the growing shoot and become 

 green, obtuse, hairy, the innermost serve as stipules for a time. 



240 



