CHAP. LXXV. 



OLEA CEJE. ORNUS. 



1243 



1067 



of fig. 1066. d. If, again, a stock of the common ash were grafted with 

 O'rnus, and, after it hod grown one year, were headed down to within 

 1| ft. or 2 ft. of the graft, and a scion of the common ash inserted ; and, at 

 the end of the year, if the shoot produced were grafted with O'rnus at the 

 same distance as before, and if this practice were continued, and C/rnus and 

 Fraxinus grafted alternately at regular distances, till the stem had attained the 

 height of a column, say of 10 ft. or 12 ft., the appearance, after the tree had 

 grown for some years, would be as in fig. 1066. b ; which is what architects 

 call a rusticated column. Again, if 0'rnus were made the stock, and the 

 common ash grafted on it, and allowed to grow till it attained the height of 

 a column, and if it were then grafted with O'rnus, the appearance would be 

 as in fig. 1066. a, which is that of the Roman fasces, or of a column formed out 

 of spears. The most singular tree of O'rnus europse v a, perhaps, in Europe, 

 is that noticed by Dr. Neill, as growing 

 in the Leyden Botanic Garden in 1817. 

 In the Journal of a Horticultural Tour 

 &c, p. 153., an engraving is given of this 

 tree, together with its dimensions ; and 

 fig. 1067. is a copy of this engraving, re- 

 duced to a scale of 1 in. to 12 ft. This 

 tree was planted in the time of Boer- 

 haave, and, it is reported, was grafted by 

 the professor himself; it must, therefore, 

 be considerably above 100 years old. 

 Its trunk in 1817 was nearly 12 ft. high; 

 and from the ground to the summit of the 

 branches was about 24 ft. The sloping 

 bark at the junction of the stock and graft 

 was quite smooth and complete all round; 

 a fact, Dr. Neill observes, that would seem to indicate that the stock and graft 

 had originally been nearly adapted to each other with regard to size. " All 

 roundthe stem are numerous knobs and distorted protuberances, producing the 

 most singular effect. In no place, however, is there any appearance of canker 

 or disease, the bark being every where healthy. The stem is crowned by a 

 thicket of irregular and crowded branches, which form, upon the whole, a fine 

 round head." (Hort. Tour, p. 134.) While the revise of this sheet is before 

 us, we have received the dimensions and a portrait of this tree in its present 

 state, through the kindness of Professor Reinwardt of Leyden. It is still a 

 curious tree, but from age and decay considerably different from the figure 

 above given. 



Many oddities of this kind might be produced by the curious gardener. 

 The idea of suggesting them occurred to us some years ago, on seeing a very 

 remarkable specimen in theNew Cross Nursery, which has been since removed. 

 There is one at Purser's Cross, and some at Syon ; though the largest 

 tree in the latter place (of which an engraving is given in our last 

 Volume) appears to be either a seedling plant, or grafted under the 

 surface of the ground, as no protuberances appear. At Kew, there is 

 one, of which fig. 1068. is a sketch (e being a view from one side, and 

 / a view from the opposite side), which is to our scale of 1 in. to 

 12 ft. There is also a fine specimen of O'rnus americana at Kew, s** 

 grafted on the common ash ; but, as the growth of the two spe- J\ 

 cies is nearly alike, there is less difference between the scion and 

 the stock. (See fig. 1071. in p. 1245.) At Gunnersbury, the same 

 effect, and to the same extent, has been produced by grafting the 

 variegated on the common sycamore ; and, indeed, a similar result 

 may be obtained by grafting any slow-growing tree on a fast-growing— 

 one. 1068 



Statistics. O'rnus curopce y a in England. In the environs of London, the largest tree is that at 

 Syon, which is 58 ft. high, and of which a portrait is given in our Third Volume; at Purser's Cro.ss 



