THE WYCH ELM. 
43 
The Elm most frequently seen is the Small-leaved Elm 
(Ulmus canipestris), which is therefore entitled to its alternative 
name of Common Elm. Constantly grown as a hedgerow 
tree, it meets us at every turn, though it is much less plenti- 
ful in Scotland than in other parts of the United Kingdom. 
It is in all respects very similar to the Wych Elm, but 
its leaves are smaller — usually from two to three inches long, 
the twigs often covered with a corky bark, and the seed, 
instead of being in the centre of the samara, is much nearer 
to the notched end. The leaves are proportionately narrower 
than those of vtontana, and it will be found that the hairs which 
cover the midrib below possess in minor degree the irritating 
qualities of the Nettle’s stings. This is a fact not generally 
known, but I became painfully aware of it a few years ago when 
clearing away the suckers of an Elm that were encroaching too 
much upon my garden border. Examination of these hairs 
shows that they are constructed much on the same plan as those 
of the Nettle — a member of the same Natural Order, by the 
way. The fact that these leaves are browsed by cattle and 
deer may explain this development of the hairs, which, whilst 
they may serve to keep off sheep, have not yet reached a degree 
of acridity sufficient to protect them from the larger beasts. Both 
flowers and samaras are about a third smaller than those of 
montana j but seed is very seldom produced in this country, 
and the tree seeks to reproduce itself by throwing up abundant 
suckers round the base of the bole, and even from root-branches 
at a considerable distance from the trunk. These, of course, if 
allowed to grow, would soon surround the tree with copse. 
Campestris often attains a greater height with its straighter 
trunk than nionta7ia, but its girth is not so great, seldom 
being more than twenty feet. Its dark wood is harder and 
finer grained than that produced by the native tree. Its 
favour as a hedgerow tree is probably due to the fact that 
it gives shade which is not obnoxious to the growth of grass. 
