3.S BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



desii-able forest-trees, should be planted rather than the 

 more common pitch-pine. 



In economic planting, too, it is well to remember that the 

 most valuable trees are already scarce, or likely soon to be 

 so ; and that, by planting now such trees as black walnut, 

 butternut, white pine, white ash, the hickories, etc., a cer- 

 tain profit will be made in the future. 



It would not be proper, in treating of the general subject 

 of natural planting, to pass by in silence, and without a pro- 

 test, the pernicious and wasteful custom — an outgrowth of 

 the bedding-out fashion in gardens — by which all sorts of 

 variegated leaves or other abnormal forms of plants are given 

 the first consideration. Nature is very indulgent, and permits 

 the horticulturist to mould and shape her works into various 

 forms. The perpetuation of these monstrosities and vagaries 

 is no credit to those who pander to the false taste which en- 

 courages such productions, nor is it any credit to those who 

 waste their time and money in planting these sickly evanes- 

 cent forms where the healthy plant in its natural condition 

 is every way preferable. Of course there must always be 

 exceptions, and Nature has, in making a change of color, 

 sometimes given us valuable contrasts, as in the case with 

 the purple beech; but even the purple beech cannot be 

 planted indiscriminately. 



We have a long line of golden oaks, golden ashes, golden 

 lindens, striped-leaved, silver-leaved, or golden-banded varie- 

 ties, hideous to any lover of nature. Looking upon these 

 sickly plants, each seems, by turn, more ugly than its neigh- 

 bor. All should be sent to the rubbish-heap together, and per- 

 manent natural productions planted in their places. These 

 plants are all the result of some constitutional weakness, an 

 impeded or irregular distribution of juices of the plant, and, 

 like all other abnormal forms, cannot be long-lived. The 

 only thing that can be said in their favor is, that they will 

 die naturally in a short time. Nor can much be said of that 

 class of horticultural productions known as weeping trees. 

 In a few cases beautiful and interesting, they have become 

 absurd through their too frequent employment. 



It is impossible, in the hour allotted for this paper, to more 

 than outline the general spirit which should govern us in the 

 selection of ornamental trees. Only a few examples are used 



