THE WYCH ELM. 
41 
of Witch. Just as a Hazel-rod is used by water-finders, who 
declare that its movements indicate the presence of hidden 
springs, so a wand of Uhnus vwntana may have furnished 
the Witch-finder with a Witch Hazel for the detection of 
witches ! 
The names montana, campestris, and Mountain Elm must not 
be allowed to mislead us as to the habits of the two species, for 
though the Wych Elm is known to reach an altitude of 3300 
feet in the Alps, here it ascends only to 1300 feet (Yorks.), 
whilst Ulmus campestris, which might be understood to be 
less a hill-climber, grows at an elevation of 1500 feet in Derby- 
shire. As a matter of fact, both species are much fonder of 
valleys than of mountains. 
The Wych Elm forms a trunk of large size, from 80 to 
120 feet or more in height, with a girth of 50 feet, and covered 
with rough bark that is often corky. Its long slender branches 
spread widely with a downward tendency, the downy forking 
twigs bearing their leaves in a straight row along each side. 
The leaves are somewhat oval in general form, but the two sides 
of the midrib are unequal in size and shape. Their edges are 
doubly or trebly toothed, and the surfaces are rough and harsh 
to the touch. The hairs that cover the strong ribs on the under 
surface serve for the protection of the breathing pores from 
dust. On leaves of the pendulous form of this tree, grown in the 
London parks and gardens, these hairs will be found to be 
quite black with the soot particles gathered from the air. Trees 
need carbon, but in this gross form they are too often suffocated 
by it. 
In March or April the brownish flowers are produced in 
bunches from the sides of the branches. They are a quarter of 
an inch long, bell-shaped, their edges cut into lobes, and finely 
fringed. The ovary, with its two awl-shaped styles, is sur- 
rounded by four or five stamens with purple anthers. They 
appear in March or April, before the leaf-buds have opened, 
