THE YEW TREE* 



63 



of trees a walk impervious to the blast of 

 Boreas for ourselves, and a provision of berries 

 for the birds, at a time when their more or- 

 dinary supply of food is considerably on the 

 decrease. 



Charming is the appearance of the yew tree 

 after the sun has passed the autumnal equinox. 

 The delicate crimson of its fruit, with the dark 

 green leaves behind it, produces an effect so 

 pleasing to the view, that it can scarcely be 

 surpassed by any thing which the southern 

 forests present to the lover of botany, as he 

 wanders through their mazes. 



The bole of this tree possesses the power 

 of effectually reproducing a supply of main 

 branches, after the original ones have been 

 severed from it by the axe of the woodman. At 

 Lupset Hall, the residence of our former ho- 

 nest member for Wakefield, Daniel Gaskell, 

 Esq., there stands a lordly yew, by far the most 

 gigantic of any in this neighbourhood. At some 

 period of time, now long gone by, all its larger 

 branches have been cut away from the stem. 

 Others now supply their place ; and by the pre- 

 sent healthy aspect of the tree, we may conclude 

 that, at some future day, this second series of 



