The 'Ascham.'
This term is applied to an upright narrow cupboard, contrived for the purpose of holding all the implements of archery. It is constructed so that the bows may stand or hang upright in the back part, and in the front each individual arrow may stand, also upright, and sufficiently apart from its neighbour to avoid the possibility of any injury to the feathers. In height this Ascham should be upwards of six feet, so that there may be sufficient room for the longest bows, and the bows should all, if standing, be on a bottom raised some few inches above the floor of the apartment, as an additional security against damp, which is a most fatal enemy to the bow. In damp situations, and particularly at the seaside, great care must be taken to keep out all moisture. Also, as far as possible, a tolerably even temperature should be maintained. The long box in which an archer keeps his stock of bows, arrows, &c., when travelling, is also called an Ascham.