XL. 
THE ASH TREE. 
Asu TREE: Fraxinus excelsior (L.)—The tall or common ash 
belongs to the natural order Oleacee, and some species of the 
tree is to be found in all quarters of the world. The common 
ash is a native of Britain, and is one of the most important 
timber trees adapted to the climate of this country. It 
attains to a great size, reaching in fine specimens to about 
100 feet, with a trunk four to five feet in diameter of sound 
timber. It luxuriates in rich deep soil of various qualities, 
inclining to moisture rather than drought. The best speci- 
mens are commonly met with in glens and valleys, but some- 
times at considerable elevations where the soil is rich. The 
tree is very hardy, breaking into leaf late in the season, and 
shedding its leaves earlier than most other trees. Although it 
often possesses a very elegant figure, and forms during sum- 
mer a desirable object in lawn or park scenery, yet for the 
greater part of the year its want of foliage renders it less 
ornamental than many other trees. The ash-blossoms appear 
in April, a few weeks before the development of the leaves ; 
and the seeds have often a prominent but not ornamental 
appearance for months after the leaves are shed. In growing 
the tree from seed it is apt to sport, that is, to produce 
varieties ; sometimes the tree yields male blossoms only, other 
trees produce only female blossoms, but for the most part 
both sexes or hermaphrodite blossoms are produced. The 
male trees are the handsomest, and are generally recognised 
in autumn by the absence of seed, the profusion of which 
gives the other variety a faded appearance at that season of 
the year. The foliage of the male tree is commonly most 
