58 



SYLVA BRITANNICA. 



THE ELM. 



Foecundje frondibus Ulmi. 



Virgil, 



In the scale of precedence among Forest trees the 

 Ehn, which is indigenous to England, has a right, 

 both with respect to beauty and utility, to claim a 

 place next to the Oak in dignity and rank. One 

 very important property, as regards the usefulness 

 of its timber, is that of being able to bear the alter- 

 nations of dryness and moisture, without rotting ; 

 which renders it more especially fit for all purposes 

 connected with water, or exposure to the atmo- 

 sphere. The hardness of its grain is another quality 

 that adds to its value ; nor ought its foliage to be 

 forgotten ; forming, as it may do, a substitute for 

 hay and fodder, in times of scarcity : the Roman 

 husbandman, indeed, frequently fed his cattle on 

 the leaves of the Elm ; hence Virgil reckons the 

 redundancy of them among its excellencies. 



