Woodland Gleanings Part 7

Grows in hedges, and flowers in March.

3. _U. major_. Smith. Leaves ovato-ac.u.minate, very oblique at the base, sharply, doubly, and regularly serrate; always scabrous above, p.u.b.escent below, with dense tufts of white hairs in the axillae. Branches spreading, bright-brown, winged with corky excrescences; when young, nearly smooth. Fruit obovate, slightly cloven, naked. _U. hollandica_. Miller. Grows in hedges, and flowers in March.

4. _U. carpinifolia_. Lindl. Leaves ovato-ac.u.minate, coriaceous, strongly veined, simply crenate, serrate, slightly oblique and cordate at the base, s.h.i.+ning, but rather scabrous above, smooth beneath. Branches bright-brown, nearly smooth. Grows four miles from Stratford-on-Avon, on the road to Alcester.

5. _U. glabra_. Miller. Leaves ovato-lanceolate, ac.u.minate, doubly and evenly crenate-serrate, cuneate and oblique at the base, becoming quite smooth above, smooth or glandular beneath, with a few hairs in the axillae. Branches bright-brown, smooth, wiry, weeping. Fruit obovate, naked, deeply cloven. [Greek: Beta].

_glandulosa_. Leaves very glandular beneath, [Greek: gamma].

_latifolia_. Leaves oblong, acute, very broad. Grows in woods and hedges; [Greek: Beta]. near Ludlow; [Greek: gamma]. at West Hatch, in Ess.e.x. Flowers in March. N. B. To this species the Downton Elm and Scampston Elm of the nurseries probably belong.

6. _U. stricta_. Lindl. _Cornish Elm_. Leaves obovate, cuspidate, cuneate at the base, evenly and nearly doubly crenate-serrate, strongly veined, coriaceous, very smooth and s.h.i.+ning above, smooth beneath, with hairy axillae. Branches bright-brown, smooth, rigid, erect, very compact. [Greek: Beta] _parvifolia_. Leaves much smaller, less oblique at the base, finely and regularly crenate, ac.u.minate rather than cuspidate. Grows in Cornwall and North Devon; [Greek: Beta] the less common.

7. _U. montana_. Bauh. _Witch Elm_. Leaves obovate, cuspidate, doubly and coa.r.s.ely serrate, cuneate and nearly equal at the base, always exceedingly scabrous above, evenly downy beneath. Branches not corky, cinereous, smooth. Fruit rhomboid, oblong, scarcely cloven, naked. _U. campestris_. Willd. _U. effusa_. Sibth., not of others. _U. nuda_. Chr. _U. glabra_, Hudson, according to Smith. N.

B. Of this, the Giant Elm and the Chichester Elm of the nurseries are varieties.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE HAWTHORN-TREE.]

THE HAWTHORN-TREE.

[_Crataegus_.[F] Nat. Ord.--_Rosaceae_; Linn.--_Icosand. Pentag._]

[F] _Crataegus_. Calyx superior, monosepalous, 5-cleft. Petals 5. Styles 2 to 5. Fruit a small _pome_, oval or round, concealing the upper end of the bony carpels. _Flowers_ in cymes. _Leaves_ lobed.

The Hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade, For talking age and whispering lovers made.

High as we admit Gilpin's taste for the picturesque to be, we are compelled to differ from him in his opinion of the Hawthorn. He observes that it has little claim to picturesque beauty; he complains that its shape is bad, that it does not taper and point like the holly, but is a matted, round, and heavy bush. We are glad to find, however, that Sir T. Lauder thinks differently; he remarks, that "even in a picturesque point of view, it is not only an interesting object by itself, but produces an interesting combination, or contrast, as things may be, when grouped with other trees. We have seen it," he adds, "hanging over rocks, with deep shadows over its foliage, or shooting from their sides in the most fantastic forms, as if to gaze at its image in the deep pool below. We have seen it contrasting its tender green and its delicate leaves with the brighter and deeper ma.s.ses of the holly and the alder.

We have seen it growing under the shelter, though not under the shade, of some stately oak, embodying the idea of beauty protected by strength.

Our eyes have often caught the motion of the busy mill-wheel, over which its blossoms were cl.u.s.tering. We have seen it growing grandly on the green of the village school, the great object of general attraction to the young urchins, who played in idle groups about its roots, and perhaps the only thing remaining to be recognised when the schoolboy returns as the man. We have seen its aged boughs overshadowing one half of some peaceful woodland cottage, its foliage half concealing the window, whence the sounds of happy content and cheerful mirth came forth. We know that lively season

When the milkmaid singeth blithe, And the mower whets his scythe, And every shepherd tells his tale Under the hawthorn in the dale.

And with these, and a thousand such a.s.sociations as these, we cannot but feel emotions of no ordinary nature when we behold this beautiful tree."

And Gilpin admits, in another part of his _Forest Scenery_, that the Hawthorn, when entangled with an oak, or mixing with other trees, may be beautiful.

Loudon describes "the Hawthorn, _C. oxyacantha_, in its wild state, as a shrub, or small tree, with a smooth, blackish bark, and very hard wood.

The branches are numerous and slender, furnished with sharp, awl-shaped spines. The leaves are of a deep smooth green, more or less deeply three-lobed, or five-lobed, cut and serrated, wedge-shaped, or rounded.

The flowers have white petals, frequently pink, or almost scarlet, and sweet-scented." Its fragrance indeed is great, and its bloom is spread over it in profusion.

Marke the faire blooming of the Hawthorne tree, Who, finely cloathed in a robe of white, Fills full the wanton eye with May's delight.

Chaucer.

While "in autumn," says Gilpin, "the Hawthorn makes its best appearance.

Its glowing berries produce a rich tint, which often adds great beauty to the corner of a wood, or the side of some crowded clump."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaves, Flowers, and Berries of _C. oxyacantha._]

There are many remarkable trees of this kind, but the only one we shall here particularly mention is Queen Mary's Thorn, which is thus described in that splendid work, the _Arboretum Britannic.u.m_:--"The parent tree is in a garden near Edinburgh, which once belonged to the Regent Murray, and is now, 1836, in the possession of Mr. Cowan, a paper manufacturer.

It is very old, and its branches have somewhat of a drooping character; but whether sufficiently so to const.i.tute a variety worth propagating as a distinct kind, appears to us very doubtful. It may be interesting, however, to some, to continue, by extension, the individual tree under which the unfortunate Queen is supposed to have spent many hours. The fruit of this variety is rather above the middle size, long, fleshy, of a deep red, and good to eat. The height of the parent tree is thirty-three feet, and the diameter of the head thirty-six feet; the trunk divides into two limbs, at fifteen inches from the ground, one of which is one foot four inches in diameter, and the other one foot. The tree is healthy and vigorous, though, if it be true that Queen Mary sat under its shade, it must be nearly three hundred years old."

The Hawthorn is found in most parts of Europe, and appears to have been of use in England from a very early period, as in all old works on husbandry ample directions are given for the planting and cultivation of the Thorn. In Tusser's _Five Hundred Points in Good Husbandry_ we find the following directions:

Go plough or delve up, advised with skill, The breadth of a ridge, and in length as you will; Where speedy quickset for a fence you will draw, To sow in the seed of the bramble and Haw.

If intended for seed, the haws should not be gathered until the end of October, when they become blackish; and even then they rarely vegetate before the second year. The proper mode of preparing them is as follows:--If you do not sow them immediately, as soon as they are gathered, spread them on an airy floor for five or six weeks, till the seeds are dry and firm; then plunge them into water, and divest them wholly of their pulp by rubbing them between your hands with a little sand; spread them again on the loft three or four days, till quite dry; mix them with fine loose sandy mould, in quant.i.ty not less than the bulk of the seeds, and lay them in a heap against a south wall, covering them over, three or four inches deep, with soil of the same quality as that with which they are mixed. If you do not sow them in the spring, in this situation let them remain till the second spring, as the seeds, if sown, will not appear the first year. That the berries may be as equally mixed with the soil as possible, turn over the heaps once in two months, blending the covering with the seeds, and, at every turning, give them a fresh covering in the winter months. They should be sown the first dry weather in February, or the beginning of March. Separate them from the loose soil in which they were mixed, with a wire sieve. The ground should be good, dry, fresh land, well prepared, and the seeds beat down with the back of a spade, and then covered about half an inch thick with mould; or they may be dropped in drills about eight inches apart.

The utility of the Hawthorn is chiefly for fences. The wood is hard, and the root of an old Thorn is an excellent material for boxes and combs, and is curiously and naturally wrought. It is white, but of a somewhat yellow hue, and is capable of a very high polish.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE HAZEL-TREE.]

THE HAZEL-TREE.

[_Corylus_.[G] Nat. Ord.--_Amentiferae_; Linn.--_Monoec. Polyan._]

[G] _Corylus_. Barren catkin long, pendulous, cylindrical. Scales 3-lobed, middle lobe covering the 2 lateral lobes. Stamens 8. Anther 1-celled. Perianth none. Fertile flowers, several surrounded by a scaly involucre. Styles 2. Nut 1-seeded, inclosed in the enlarged coriaceous laciniated involucre.

The common Hazel, _C. avellana_, is a native of all the temperate climates of Europe and Asia, and grows wild in almost every part of Britain, from Cornwall to Caithness. Although never arriving at the bulk of a timber-tree, it yet claims our notice, among the natives of the forest, on various accounts. Its flowers are among the first to make their appearance, which is generally so early as the end of January, and in a month's time they are in full bloom; these are small, and of a beautiful red colour. Its fruit-bearing buds make a splendid show in March, when they burst and disclose the bright crimson of their shafts.

The common Hazel is known at once by its bushy habit; by its roundish-cordate taper-pointed, deeply serrated, light-green, downy leaves; by its rough light-coloured bark; and by its broad leafy husks, much lacerated and spreading at the point. The nuts are a very agreeable fruit, abounding in a mild oil, which is expressed and used by artists for mixing with their colours. We must, however, caution persons against eating too freely of this fruit, as it is difficult of digestion, and often proves hurtful when eaten in large quant.i.ties. They are ripe about harvest, and we ourselves have frequently enjoyed the pleasures of a _nutting_ party, and can fully enter into the spirit of the sketch in _Autumn_, by our admired bard, Thomson:

Ye swains, now hasten to the Hazel bank, Where, down yon dale, the wildly-winding brook Falls hoa.r.s.e from steep to steep. In close array, Fit for the thickets and the tangling shrub, Ye virgins come. For you their latest song The woodlands raise; the cl.u.s.tering nuts for you The lover finds amid the secret shade; And, where they burnish on the topmost bough, With active vigour crushes down the tree, Or shakes them ripe from the resigning husk.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Leaves, Catkins, and Nuts of _C. avellana_.]

We must also give here a description of the pleasures of nutting, from our favourite poet--the poet of nature--Wordsworth:

--It seems a day (I speak of one from many singled out) One of those heavenly days which cannot die; When in the eagerness of boyish hope, I left our cottage-threshold, sallying forth With a huge wallet o'er my shoulders slung, A nutting-crook in hand, and turned my steps Toward the distant woods. * * *

* * * * Among the woods And o'er the pathless rocks I forced my way, Until at length I came to one dear nook Unvisited, where not a broken bough Drooped with its withered leaves, ungracious sign Of devastation! but the Hazels rose Tall and erect, with milk-white cl.u.s.ters hung, A virgin scene! A little while I stood, Breathing with such suppression of the heart As joy delights in; and with wise restraint, Voluptuous, fearless of a rival, eyed The banquet,--or beneath the trees I sate Among the flowers, and with the flowers I played.

* * * * Then up I rose, And dragged on earth each branch and bough with crash And merciless ravage, and the shady nook Of Hazels, and the green and ma.s.sy bower Deformed and sullied, patiently gave up Their quiet being; and unless I now Confound my present feelings with the past, Even then, when from the bower I turned away Exulting, rich beyond the wealth of kings, I felt a sense of pain when I beheld The silent trees, and the intruding sky.

The nut is a favourite food of the squirrels, which h.o.a.rd them up for winter store, being careful always to select the best. It is commonly remarked, that a plentiful year for nuts is the same for wheat.

In order to raise the Hazel, the nuts must be gathered in autumn. These must be carefully preserved until February in a moist place; then, having the ground well ploughed and harrowed, sow them in drills drawn at one yard distance. When the young plants appear they must be kept clear from weeds, and remain under this careful cultivation till the weeds are no longer to be feared. As they grow they should not be permitted to stand too thick, but be kept thinned, until the plants are left a yard asunder each way. Virgil says,

Hazels, from set and suckers, take.