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JOUENAL OF RURAL ART AND RURAL TASTE. 



Vol. II. 



NOVEMBER, 1847. 



No. 5. 



Now THAT THE SEASON of the present is 

 nearly over, now that spring with its fresh- 

 ness of promise, summer with its luxury of 

 development, and autumn with its fulfilment 

 of fruitfulness, have all laid their joys and 

 benefits at our feet, we naturally pause for 

 a moment to see what is to be done in the 

 rural plans of the futui-e. 



The PLANTING SEASON is at hand. Our 

 correspondence with all parts of the coun- 

 try informs us, that at no previous time has 

 the improvement of private grounds been 

 so active as at present. New and tasteful 

 residences are everywhere being built. New 

 gardens are being laid out. New orchards 

 of large extent are rapidly being planted. 

 In short, the horticultural zeal of the coun- 

 try is not only awake — it is brimfull of en- 

 ergy and activity. 



Private enterprise being thus in a fair 

 way to take care of itself, we feel that the 

 most obvious duty is to endeavor to arouse 

 a corresponding spirit in certain rural im- 

 provements of a more public nature. 



We therefore return again to a subject 

 which we dwelt upon at some length last 

 spring — the planting of shade trees in the 

 streets of our rural towns and villages. 



Pleasure and profit are certain, sooner or 

 later, to awaken a large portion of our 

 Vol. II. 26 



countrymen to the advantages of improv- 

 ing their own private grounds. But we 

 find that it is only under two conditions that 

 many public improvements are carried on. 

 The first, is when nearly the whole of the 

 population enjoy the advantages of edu- 

 cation, as in New-England. The second, is 

 when a few of the more spirited and intel- 

 ligent of the citizens move the rest by tak- 

 ing the burden in the beginning upon their 

 own shoulders by setting the example them- 

 selves, and by most zealously urging all 

 others to follow. 



The villages of New-England, looking 

 at their sylvan charms, are as beautiful as 

 any in the world. Their architecture is 

 simple and unpretending — often, indeed, 

 meagre and unworthy of notice. The 

 houses are surrounded by enclosures full of 

 trees and shrubs, with space enough to afford 

 comfort, and ornament enough to denote 

 taste. But the main street of the villatre is 

 an avenue of Elms, positively delightful to 

 behold. Always wide, the over-arching 

 boughs form an aisle more grand and beau- 

 tiful than that of any old gothic cathedral. 

 Not content, indeed, with one avenue, some 

 of these villages have, in their wide, single 

 street, three lines of trees, forming a double 

 avenue, of which any grand old palace 



