ITS TREES
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its beauty and hardiness. It is easily distinguished by
its smooth massive stem and light-green satiny leaves.
From its habit of rooting close to the surface, and from
its dense foliage, as a rule, nothing will grow under its
branches; but the bare surface is very beautiful when it
is carpeted in spring with the brown sheaths which
have protected the buds during winter, and again by
the falling leaves in autumn. Less patient of moisture
than the oak, few good specimens are found in such
stiff soils as Fairmead thicket; but on the drier hills it
is crowding its rival out, and makes fine timber. It is
as noble a tree as the oak, but not so long lived. The
leaves are far less liable to destruction by caterpillars
than the oaks. The " mast " or nuts are shed in great
profusion, and are a favourite food of the deer. The
best beeches in the Forest are found along the green
ride in Epping Thicks. Unlike the groves of High
Beach and Monk Wood, these have never been
pollarded ; and, as they stand somewhat thinly, they
have not been punished by competing trees, but have
made fine lateral growth which weeps nearly to the
ground.
The Hornbeam (Carpinus Betulus) is a tree of less im-
posing growth than either of the preceding, but it is
much more widely spread than either of them. No
soil, however wet or dry, comes amiss to it; and, un-
discouraged by the most ruthless pollarding, it at once
"starts" again. It was consequently a favourite tree
with the " loppers," and there are scarcely any good
specimens in the Forest which have not been periodically
beheaded. Epping Thicks possesses two fine " spears "
of this species, but I should find it hard to point out
more than one or two others. This cruel treatment is
now put an end to in Epping Forest, and we may
expect them to respond with their graceful horizontal
growth. It is said to have been originally encouraged
on account of the deer, who browse on its leaves, which
are among the earliest to appear. These resemble those
of the beech, but are less polished in appearance, and
have a saw-like edge. The branches have a curious
habit, of which many quaint specimens may be found
in the Forest, of reuniting several feet from their point
of separation and again forming one stem. The winged
seed vessels of the hornbeam are a very pretty feature
when the tree is covered with them. This effect
generally follows a hot summer and is not produced
every year.
The Birch (Betula alba). If the oak is the king of trees,
this is the queen. While the beech is remarkable for
the massiveness of its foliage, the birch is distinguished
by its grace and lightness. Its white stem and fine
spray-like branches are a lovely feature even in the
depth of winter. Formerly it was not common in the
Forest, but, from its enormous production of seeds, which
are carried far on the wind by the little wing attached to
them, it is spreading itself rapidly, and I anticipate
that, in a comparatively short period, it will to some