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came from it and its part in English lore has been considerable. 

 Before the advent of Christianity in England the yews were 

 sacred to the pagan Druids, who erected their temples near these 

 trees. In horticultural work it formerly played a greater part than 

 at present and the topiary effects that were secured with the yew 

 were remarkable. We cannot afford to enter into the interesting 

 history of this tree here. The wood has been highly prized for 

 cabinet work and in olden days made the bows of the archers. The 

 foliage of the yew is said to be poisonous to cattle, but the little 

 red berry-like fruits are edible. 



In this country the English Yew is not so hardy as the Japanese. 

 A great many garden varieties are cultivated. 



The English Yew is found wild over most of Europe and in 

 northern Africa and western Asia. 



On the eastern side of our little enclosure are three evergreens. 

 The lower upright bushy one in the center with golden foliage 

 during summer is a Golden English- Yew. 



There remain four unmentioned evergreens in this enclosure. 

 They are not yews, though similar to them. They are Plum Yews 

 and Torreyas. 



General Discussion 



Six or eight different kinds of yew are known, found only in 

 the Northern Hemisphere. They are all evergreens, so closely 

 related that they are often regarded as geographical varieties of 

 but one species. They do not differ in fruit, only in characters of 

 bud, leaf and habit. Three occur wild in the United States. The 

 Canada Yew, Tax us canadensis, is found throughout most of the 

 Northeast, where it is frequently known as Ground Hemlock. It 

 forms bushy masses up to four feet or more in height and is the 

 hardiest of the yews. But it has the habit of turning a sickly 

 brown in autumn and that feature discourages its ornamental use. 

 The Western Yew, T. brevifolia, forms a tree up to 75 feet in 

 height on the Pacific Coast, but is rare in cultivation. In Florida 

 there is the Florida Yew, T. florid ana, a small tree of minor value. 

 Others occur in Asia. A few hybrids and several other forms 

 have been produced in cultivation. 



