268 
THE ASH. 
ture, and not indented at the divisions ; colour 
bright and distinct, and, if variegated, the 
contrast to be decided, and the veins, stripes, 
or blotches, well defined. 
These are all the properties that, we believe, 
have been published ; and, as before observed, 
the advance of each flower mentioned towards 
these standards is the most certain evidence 
that they have been, and still are, universally 
admitted and acted upon. Copyists there 
always will be, and the author of " The Pro- 
perties of Flowers " must share the fate of other 
original writers ; butwhoever else may attempt 
a floricultural standard, and whatever else may 
be written upon the subject, it is to Mr. Glenny, 
and to Mr. Glenny only, that Floriculture is 
indebted for the principles laid down and im- 
plied in the foregoing properties ; and as it is 
scarcely possible to form any standard for 
floral subjects without adopting his ideas, if 
not his very words, it must be conceded that 
the merits of having originated the system 
which has practically advanced floriculture, 
and enhanced the beauty of floral subjects 
beyond all precedent, is due to this author, 
the author of " The Properties of Flowers." 
k!L 
THE ASH. 
BY JAMES GKIGOR. 
In point of utility this tree ranks next to 
the oak ; and, indeed, for many purposes, it is 
even the first of all trees. 
In high lands it is a poor, scantily-foliaged 
object, declining rather than increasing in size, 
and not unfrequently a mass of disease. In 
valleys, where the ground is good and inclined 
to be moist, it is a free growing, high, grace- 
ful object, anchored fast in the soil, and living 
on through many generations. Close beside 
old religious houses, deserted halls, and a few 
of our old inhabited mansions, it is to be found 
in possession of the soil it most delights to 
grow in, and, consequently, exhibiting in such 
localities all the perfection of the species. In 
modern gardening, however, the introduction 
of the ash is not reckoned proper, particularly 
in front of the windows of a mansion ; for 
though there cannot be a more pleasing object 
when first in leaf, yet, after all, it is but a 
common hedgerow tree, and the well under- 
stood ideas connected with its " properties and 
uses " render it inadmissable among such as 
are of a purely ornamental description. The 
woods and groves are its proper places ; and 
here, indeed, it disputes the sovereignty with 
the oak. It is a lofty grower, loftier than the 
oak, and this of itself gives it a decided pre- 
eminence. There are many other reasons why 
it should be introduced very sparingly in 
home grounds : it is late in leafing ; it is by 
no means entitled to be ranked as an um- 
brageous object ; and, in its living state, it is 
deficient in classical association. The last 
objection, as a matter of course, results from 
the preceding one, for both in Greece and 
Rome those trees were prized the most which 
afforded the deepest and most refreshing shade. 
The grove, wood, and the open country, 
then, seem to be the most fitting situations 
for this tree, and here I am inclined to give it 
every justice as contributing its share to the 
beauty of the landscape. Many, indeed, dis- 
like it on account of the transient duration of 
its leaves, which it is said remind them pre- 
maturely of autumn ; but this objection is 
more a matter of fancy than reality ; for ever- 
greens, which change not at all, are not reck- 
oned the more interesting on that account. 
Besides, it is the nature of the tree to shed its 
leaves early, and is, on that account, looked 
upon by many as a faithful indicator of the 
season, performing its part in that beautiful 
calendar established throughout our sylvan 
domain. The budding, leafing, expanding, 
and fading of an ash tree, are all associated 
with the circumstances of rural life, and are 
referred to almost as often as the months of 
the year. At any rate, the dying hue of this 
object, whilst everything is yet green and 
fresh around it, is looked upon as a striking 
accompaniment — mournful though it may be — . 
to a particular season, and valued accordingly. 
It will thus be seen, that if the leaves of 
the ash were prolonged so as to join in the 
general desolation of autumn, our October 
would be somewhat deficient in those legible 
signs which trees are so well calculated to 
afford throughout the year. It should be re- 
membered, too, that the delicate orange tint 
