365 



THE LEAPING OF THE OAK AND ASH. 



J. HAGGER, 

 Repton School, Bnrton-on-Tre7it. 



For the last seven years I have, in my botanical and other rambles, 

 paid considerable attention to the leafing of the oak and ash, chiefly 

 with the view of ascertaining if any reliance could be placed on the 

 tradition respecting these trees. I endeavoured also to ascertain 

 from farmers, and others most likely to know, what reasons there 

 were for supposing a wet summer might be expected if the ash was 

 in leaf before the oak, or the opposite if the oak had the advantage. 



I was rather surprised at the many unsatisfactory answers I 

 received ; but the gist of them may be thus expressed : the oak 

 strikes its roots much deeper in the soil than the ash, consequently 

 if it be raining, the moisture sooner reaches the ash and forces it 

 more quickly forward ; whilst on the other hand, if the weather be 

 dry the ash is retarded, and the oak, obtaining its support from 

 deeper and moister ground, will take precedence. 



Assuming this to be a correct statement, it seems but an 

 equivalent to saying, a wet spring means a wet summer, and vice 

 versa. Is this found to be the case? My observations do not lead 

 to such a conclusion. I will only mention two instances, well 

 remembered by me, that were quite the opposite. In the year i860 

 the spring was very dry, and farmers were looking forward to very 

 light hay crops, yet the summer — if it deserved the name— was the 

 wettest and coldest of which I have any recollection. The year 1881 

 was very cold and wet during the chief part of July, the whole of 

 August, and early part of September; yet in the spring the rainfall was 

 considerably below the average. I may further mention that in the 

 last-named year if either tree was in advance it was the oak, conse- 

 quently the summer should have been dry and warm. 



The result of my observations leads me to believe that under 

 equally favourable circumstances the oak in leafing never precedes 

 the ash to an appreciable extent. I have come to this conclusion 

 by carefully inspecting all the trees I met with in numerous walks, 

 often covering several miles of country, and also from observations 

 in neighbouring counties. I perfectly well remember the first ramble 

 I took in which I paid special attention to this matter, and was at 

 once convinced that observations to be of any value must embrace 

 as large an area as possible, for in that round of about ten miles 

 I found near home the oaks were a little in advance of their neigh- 

 bouring ash trees, whilst around the furthest limit of my walk the 

 ash was before the oak. 



Dec 1887. 



