DROOPING TREES. 



125 



jestic and the graceful to a greater extent 

 than any of our native trees, and may well be 

 compared to a noble and stately specimen of 

 the genus homo^ endowed by nature and edu- 

 cation with all exterior and mental accom- 

 plishments. All over the country, on river 

 bottoms and low lands, magnificent specimens 

 are to be seen, with their stately and majestic 

 trunks supporting a large spreading head, 

 with its light drooping branches floating in 

 the air, I can see two beautiful specimens 

 from where I write, standing on a vacant city 

 lot. It reproduces itself from seed without 

 much, if any, variation. 



The New Weeping Birch is one of the 

 finest drooping trees. The old one is nearly 

 as erect as a poplar, until quite old ; indeed, 

 one would suppose, to look at a young tree, 

 that the name had been given ironically ; but 

 this new one is almost as pendulous as a wil- 

 low, even while young. It should be grafted, 

 or rather inarched, on tlie connnon sorts. 



The Weeping Beech is a very singular 

 and beautiful tree, with strong, irregular 

 drooping branches ; should be inarched on 

 tall standards of the common. 



The Weeping Japan Sophora is one 

 of the most beautiful weeping trees, with long, 

 slender, green branches, and dark green, 

 thick, dense, pinnate foliage, resembling that 

 of the Yellow Locust in size and shape. It 

 grows rapidly, and proves perfectly hardy in 

 our climate. When grafted high on the com- 

 mon Japan Sophora, the branches hang down 

 almost as gracefully as the willow ; and in 

 winter, its dark green bark is quite striking 

 and pretty, contrasting strongly with the gold 

 colour of the Ash and the red of the Linden. 

 I saw, in the Jardin des Plantes at Pai-is, a 

 beautiful specimen. It was in the winter, 

 and its long, slender, green branches were 

 trailing on the ground. Among all the novel- 

 ties I found there, this was (juite attractive. 



The Weeping Mountain xVsii is an in- 



teresting new drooping variety, of the Euro- 

 pean ^Mountain Ash, from France. 



The Weeping Almond — a new variety, 

 with a distinct drooping habit, in which re- 

 spect alone it differs from the common. 



The Weeping Oak. — This is a singular 

 and beautiful drooping variety of the Oak. 

 The same season we imported, we set a graft 

 in a common Oak some six feet high, and it 

 made shoots that reached the ground the 

 same season. The growth made since that is 

 more erect ; but it has really a fine drooping 

 habit, and I think is one of the finest of this 

 class of trees, Tlie leaves are small, and 

 deeply indented. Loudon, in his Arboretum, 

 mentions a weeping oak, in Hertfordshire, 

 with a trunk 75 feet high, with branches 

 reaching from the middle of its height to 

 within seven feet of the ground, and hanging 

 down like cords — " many of them 30 feet 

 long, and no thicker in any part than a com- 

 mon wagon rope." 



The Dwarf Weeping Cherry, when 

 grafted six or eight feet high, makes very 

 pretty small lawn trees. Its leaves are small, 

 and its branches are wiry and slender, and 

 droop almost perpendicularly. The head is 

 round and dense, more curious than beautiful, 

 except in spring, when in blossom. There is 

 a new large weeping cherry, which we have 

 received from France ; its branches are strong, 

 and leaves large as the Heart cherries, and 

 it produces fruit of fair quality. Its habit is 

 quite drooping. 



The Weeping Cytissus are very pretty 

 flowering lawn trees, with a graceful drooping 

 habit. They are grafted, standard high, on 

 the common laburnum. Somehow or other, 

 we find it impossible, almost, to preserve 

 them over two or three years. 



Among drooping evergreen trees, I wil. 

 mention only the Deodar Cedar, the Hima- 

 layan Spruce, {Abies morinda,) and on, 

 native Hemlock. The two first are recently 



