THE planter's GUIDE. 



315 



is most commonly found in the midland and northern 

 parts of the island. Late authors alFect to write it 

 " Wjch," but without any good reason for departing from 

 the ancient orthography of the name. This plant is 

 clearly indigenous to every part of Britain. 



II. The fine-leaved, narrow-leayed, or south-country 

 Elm, which more peculiarly belongs to the southern dis- 

 tricts. It is most probably not indigenous, and is there- 

 fore not entitled to the precedency which some writers 

 giye it. In this part of the kingdom, the two kinds are 

 universally known by the names of the Scotch and Eng- 

 lish Elm, than which certainly nothing can be less appro- 

 priate. For the botanical descriptions, see the Note.'" 



In respect to the first species, the broad-leaved or 

 witch Elm, it is found in every part of England and Scot- 

 land; and in the former country, it attains to great age 

 and magnitude.! There are also nearly forty places in 

 England that take their names from it, the most of 

 which are mentioned in Doomsday Book. These two 

 circumstances clearly show it to be of our own native 

 growth ; and on that account it might with great propriety 

 be called the British or indigenous Elm. Of this sort 

 there is a valuable variety, the Witch Hazel, or rough and 

 very broad-leaved Elm, so called from the resemblance of 

 the leaves and young shoots to those of the Hazel, and 

 which, being much earlier in coming out than the other, is 

 more fit for being planted near habitations. By most 

 botanists the Witch Hazel is considered as a distinct 

 species. It might very properly be called the early Elm. 



The second kind — that is, the narrow-leaved or English 

 Elm — is more than suspected to be of foreign origin, as no 

 ancient trees are any where found of it. Evelyn and 



* Note IV. 



t Note V. 



