THE ASH. 



137 



of trees, and particularly the Oak. preserve till a 

 late period of their existence." 



The Ash is indigenous throughout the greater 

 part of Europe.^ the north of Africa, and some 

 parts of Asia. It rises freely from seed, and in 

 favourable situations it grows rapidly. Its roots 

 are remarkable for their tendency to take a hori- 

 zontal direction, and, being abundantly furnished 

 wiih fibres which approach closely to the surface, 

 effectually check the growth of ahnost all other 

 vegetation. Hence has originated the erroneous 

 notion that the drippings of its leaves are pecu- 

 liarly noxious. They dislike the presence of stag- 

 nant water : but dehght to approach as closely as 

 possible to the gravelly bed of a running stream. 

 O^^ig to these instincts, if they may be so called, 

 the Ash outstrips any other tree when it grows 

 on the shallow rich soil which lines the course 

 of our mountain streams. It is by no means 

 convenient to plant Ash in plow-lands, for the 

 roots will be obnoxious to the coulter ; andt the 

 shade of the tree is malignant both to corn and 

 grass, when the head and branches over-drip 

 and emaciate them. — The Ash delights in the 

 best land, which it will soon impoverish, yet 

 grows in any, so it be not over stiff, wet, and 

 approaching to the marshy, unless it be first 



* Professor Jameson is disposed to think that in Scotland the Ash 

 is not indigenous, " The Ash and the Beech hare a place in the Flora 

 Scotica 01 Lightfoot and Hooker, and they have long ornamented our 

 vroods and plantations. But there is great reason to doubt their being 

 truly indigenous to this country, or having formed any pan of the 

 ancient forests. No traces of them occur in our peat-mosses : yet 

 Ash-seeds and Beech-mast v,'ould in all probability have proved as in- 

 destructible as Hazel-nuts or Fir-cones, which are abundant in many 

 ueat-mosses." (Xote in Jameso/i's Journal^ 



