THE WYCH ELM. 



123 



with this negligence, it loses in a good degree that 

 happy surface for catching masses of light which 

 we admire in the Common Elm. We observe, 

 also, when we see this tree in company with the 

 Common Elm, that its bark is somewhat of a 

 lighter hue." Sir Thomas D. Lauder'is of the same 

 opinion. *^ The trunk is so bold and picturesque 

 in form, covered, as it frequently is, with huge 

 excrescences ; the limbs and branches are so free 

 and graceful in their growth, and the foliage is so 

 rich, without being heavy or clumsy as a whole, 

 and the head is generally so finely massed, and 

 yet so well broken, as to render it one of the 

 noblest of Park-trees ; and when it grows ^\-ildly 

 amid the rocky scenery of its native Scotland, 

 there is no tree which assumes so great or so pleas- 

 ing a variety of character. 



The Wych Elm ripens its seeds freely in June, 

 but produces no suckers ; it grows more rapidly 

 than the common kind : and this probably is the 

 reason why its timber is inferior for most pur- 

 poses. It is nevertheless valuable to the Vv'heel- 

 wright and millwright, and the excrescences are 

 highly prized by the cabinet-maker, who makes of 

 them a beautiful veneer for tables, work-boxes, 

 &c. The bark of the young limbs is very tough 

 and flexible, and is often stripped off in long 

 ribands, and used, especially in Wales, for securing 

 thatch and for other similar purposes. 



Though the Wych Elm does not produce 

 suckers, it strikes from layers with great facility, 

 and if a growing branch or twig by any accident 

 touches the ground, it is sure to take root. A 

 striking instance of this is afforded by a tree at 

 Enys, in Cornwall, of which an engraving is given 



