140 
LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
vated, the chief of which is the Maple-leaved plane, ( P . O. 
acerifolia.) 
The Ash Tree. Fraxinus. 
Nat. Ord. Oleacese. Lin. Syst. Poly gam ia, DicBcia. 
The name of the ash, one of the finest and most useful 
of forest trees, is probably derived from the Celtic asc , a 
pike — as its wood was formerly in common use for spears 
and other weapons. Homer informs us that Achilles was 
slain with an ashen spear. In modern times, the wood is in 
universal use for the various implements of husbandry, for 
the different purposes of the wheelwright and carriage-maker, 
and in short, for all purposes where great strength and elas- 
ticity are required ; for in these qualities the ash is second to 
no tree in the forest, the hickory alone excepted. The ash 
is a large and lofty tree, growing, when surrounded by other 
trees, sixty t or seventy feet high, and three or more in diame- 
ter. When exposed on all sides, it forms a fine, round, com- 
pact head of loose, pinnated, light green foliage, and is one 
of the most vigorous growers among the hard- wooded trees. 
The American species of ash are found in the greatest luxu- 
riance and beauty on the banks and margins of rivers, where 
the soil is partially dry, yet where the roots can easily pene- 
trate down to the moisture. The European ash is remarka- 
ble for its hardy nature, being often found in great vigour 
on steep rocky hills, and amid crevices where most other 
trees flourish badly. Southey alludes to this in the following 
lines : 
“ Gray as the stone to which it clung, half root, 
Half trunk, the young ash rises from the rock.” 
