THE ASH 71 



a blackish hue, which then colours them entirely until 

 they follow the falling leaves. Evelyn tells us that 

 they were formerly picked when green and pickled 

 with salt and vinegar " as a delicate salading." Their 

 form no doubt assists in the dispersal of the seed away 

 from the parent shade when the wind detaches it 

 irom the bare boughs, and it may also aid in burying 

 it beneath the ground as it certainly facilitates the 

 introduction of Ash seeds into crevices in rocks, in 

 ruined walls, or in clefts of other trees. 



Few trees do more harm to vegetation beneath 

 their shade than does the Ash, from its dense mass of 

 roots sent out horizontally but a little beneath the 

 surface. It is, therefore, most obnoxious to the farmer 

 in the hedgerows of his arable land. It does not, 

 however, absolutely kill grass growing beneath it, so 

 it might often be planted as an ornamental tree on 

 the lawn. 



Of individual trees, undoubtedly the most remark- 

 able is that at Wobum Abbey, 90 feet high, with a 

 stem 28 feet high, more than 23 feet round at its base 

 and 15 feet at 3 feet from the ground, with branches 

 spreading 113 feet, and containing timber estimated 

 at 872 cubic feet. 



The wood of the Ash is a grejdsh- white through- 

 out, the broad sap-wood being used along with the 

 more central portions, an advantage peculiar to but 

 few species. It is tougher and more flexible than 

 that of any other European tree, and its value is in- 

 creased by rapid growth. Few trees become useful 

 so soon, it being fit for walking-sticks at four years' 

 growth, for spade-handles at nine, and when three 



