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THE planter's GUIDE. 



principal species certainly is, as we are enabled to ascer- 

 tain bj the best evidence ; but there seems no tree 

 respecting which greater confusion prevails among botan- 

 ists, and indeed all writers on wood. 



The Elm, as Hanburj observes, is the most perplexing 

 of all trees, as its varieties appear infinite, and the shades 

 of distinction between them the least easily ascertainable. 

 The great botanist of Upsal no doubt saw this difficulty ; 

 and therefore, with the exception of what he denominates 

 the American, and another exotic kind, he slumps the 

 whole under one head, namely, that of Ulmus Campes- 

 tris. But we must acknowledge that there was more of 

 indolence, or at least of haste, than ingenuity in this, as it 

 was merely recognising not resolving the difficulty. 



Miller, in his great work, enumerates six different 

 species ; Hanbury and Willdenow, seven ; Hunter, in his 

 edition of Evelyn, only one ; Professor Martyn gives seven ; 

 and they all mention that there are innumerable varieties, 

 which it would be useless and impossible to describe. 

 The fact is, that there are now admitted to be about nine 

 distinct species, independently of varieties. Late botan- 

 ists, however, such as Sir James Smith, have judiciously 

 limited the distinct kinds to two, from which all the rest 

 are supposed to spring. But every writer seems to have 

 his own theory, and delivers his own account of the tree, 

 which is extremely perplexing to the uninformed planter. 



Marshall, who is far from being accurate or scientific in 

 general in his descriptions of trees, is the only one, as far 

 as I know, who has given an account, simple as well as 

 practical; I will therefore adopt it, as sufficient for our 

 purpose, although it may not be botanically accurate. It 

 comprises the whole under two heads : — 



I. The coarse-leaved, broad-leaved, chestnut-leaved 

 Elm, otherwise the witch or north country Elm, which 



