THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



purpose to which it can be appHed to, as the timber of the 

 largest tree. The plough and cart-wright, the coach-maker and 

 cooper, are the chief consumers of ash-timber; thoufrh, in 

 many parts of the country, it is hkewise used for various uten- 

 sils, and for some articles of furniture. The ash aflbrds a 

 greater quantity of pot-ash than any other sort of timber in this 

 country." 



Of this genus there are thirty-six species enumerated in the 

 Hortus Brittanicus, of which twenty-five are natives of North 

 America, two natives of Britain, four not known, and the re- 

 mainder of the Levant, Corsica, Aleppo, and Tauria. Of the 

 American species, only four were introduced prior to the be- 

 ginning of this century, and, consequently, the merits of the 

 others, as timber-trees, have not yet been ascertained with us. 

 The accounts, however, we have of them, are sufficiently flat- 

 tering to lead us to hope that 'ere another century begins, we 

 may have several species of them added to our British timber- 

 trees. The F. exct'hior is the only one extensively cultivated 

 for the value of its timber, but several of the others are suf- 

 ficiently hardy, and of merits to demand the attention of planters. 

 Most of the species perfect seeds, although not in this country, 

 and are readily multiplied by that means. The varieties of F. 

 excelsior, and those species which it is diflricult to procure 

 seeds of, increase readily by grafting on the common ash. 



BKr.cii.— {Fafrus.) 



The beech {Fagus sylvatica) is also a native of our country, 

 and is found naturally in sandy loams, and in calcareous soils, 

 and abounds in many parts of Buckinghamshire and Hamp- 

 shire, of a large size, in a natural state. It is found to prosper 

 in almost all soils, but attains its greatest bulk, like the oak, in 

 alluvial soils, in valleys near the sides of rivers. It will also 

 become a valuable timber-tree amongst rocks and stones, where 

 there is little mould to be seen ; and it thrives in strong reten- 

 tive clayey soils, even although the sub-soil be spongy and wet ; 

 but the most valuable timber-trees are found where it has been 

 planted pretty thick, and drawn up to a tall straight trunk. It 

 is one of the greatest ornaments to the park, the lawn, or the 



