47 
VALUE OF THE WYCH ELM. 
counties, seems more extensively spread over England 
than the other species, and adventures farther to the 
north. Ray tells us, on the authority of Aubrey, that 
the common elm, so called, is scarcely found indigenous 
northward of Lincolnshire, whereas this species is found 
even in Scotland. Our soil is very favorable to the 
growth of both species. The wych elm affords a tough 
and valuable wood for the wheeler and the mill-wright ; 
the bark from the young limbs is stripped off in long 
ribands, and often used, especially in Wales, for securing 
thatch, and for various bindings and tyings, to which 
purpose its flexible and tough nature renders it well 
adapted. Gerard says, that arrows were made from the 
wood of this tree, and he lived at a period when he 
could well ascertain the fact, during the reign of Eliza- 
beth and her predecessor, before fire-arms had super- 
seded this truly British weapon : he was in the younger 
part of his life gardener to the great Lord Burleigh. 
That the wych elm, when permitted, will attain large 
dimensions, is manifest by the size of several we have 
observed in many places ; but that gigantic one, which 
grew in Staffordshire, exceeds in magnitude any other 
of this species which we ever heard of. It required 
the labor of two men for five days to fell it ; it was 
forty yards in length, with a diameter of seventeen feet 
at the but ; yielding eight pair of naves, and eight thou- 
sand, six hundred, and sixty feet of boards, the sawing 
of which cost 10Z. 17s. It contained ninety-seven tons 
l of timber. As Evelyn says, “ this was certainly a 
goodly tree ! ” The etymology of this tree seems to be 
unknown, and different authors, who mention it, spell 
it, accordingly, various ways : Evelyn calls it wich, and 
witch ; Gilpin, wich ; others, wych ; Bacon, weech. The 
| foliage of the young trees of this elm are the favorite 
food of the larvae of the BufLtip-moth, (Phal. Bucepha- 
la), for though they likewise feed upon the young leaves 
of the oak, and the lime, yet they give the preference 
to those of this tree ; when so feeding, it will always 
be known by their rejectments on the earth beneath, 
which when the larvae are in any number, may be noticed 
by very unattentive persons. This caterpillar, when 
