ORNAMENTAL TREES. 



213 



while young men of equal calibre, educated 

 for the professions, make the very laws which 

 govern the farmers, and control and govern 

 the whole civilization and progress of the 

 age. 



If the farmers of the present day are con- 

 tent that their sons shall be looked upon 



twenty-five years hence, not only by all the 

 professions, but all the other industrial bodies 

 of the people, (who are all stirring in the mat- 

 ter of mental improvement,) as their infe- 

 riors, then they have only to regard with ut- 

 ter indifference all plans for sound agricultural 

 schools. Eb. 



NOTES ON THE BEST ORNAMENTAL TREES. 



BY AN ARBORICULTURIST, NEW-YORK. 



It has occurred to me that at this, the season 

 for planting trees, some hints from a planter 

 of twenty years' experience, who has studied 

 somewhat the effect of trees in the embellish- 

 ment of country places, might not be unac- 

 ceptable to some of your less experienced 

 readers. To the veterans in arboriculture, I 

 have nothing to say, for the reason that it is 

 quite probable that they could teach me. 



One of the points least observed by young 

 planters, is the habit of trees, as regards com- 

 ing early into leaf, and holding the foliage 

 till late in the fall. What a valuable pro- 

 perty is this, which gives us, in such trees, 

 almost six weeks more of apparent summer 

 than others ; since no one can feel that sum- 

 mer, or even spring, has come, till the foliage 

 of the trees is fully expanded. In the case 

 of country places that are used merely as 

 summer retreats, by citizens who pass eight 

 months of the year in cities, this is not impor- 

 tant ; for even the Catalpa and the Kentucky 

 Coffee — those two laziest trees in the north- 

 ern states — will be in leaf by the time June 

 and the citizens have saluted each other in 

 the country. But for those who live in the 

 country all the year round, it is important 

 that the scenery round the house, which meets 

 the eye daily, should be composed mostly of 

 what I would call the reliable ornamental 

 trees, for the northern states, — trees quite 



hardy, of excellent persistent foliage, rapid 

 growth, and other valuable properties, as re- 

 gards foliage and form. 



I. The best foliaged Trees. Ameri- 

 can Elm. — By this, I mean our native droop- 

 ing elm, which, though common in various 

 parts of the country, can never be too com- 

 mon ; and which, whether for grace, beauty, 

 freshness and depth of foliage, or rapid 

 growth, stands at the head of all trees that 

 grow in this climate. 



The Dutch, or Cork Elm, ranks next to 

 the foregoing. It is even a more luxuriant 

 grower, and, though by no means so graceful, 

 is still a fine tree, with a mossy head of dark 

 green foliage, remaining quite green till the 

 frosts have stripped almost every other tree. 

 The English Elm has something of the same 

 habit, while i\\e. Scotch Elm (I believe all 

 these are now in the nurseries,) is more like 

 our Weeping Elm. 



The Negundo Tree — usually called the 

 Ash-leaved Maple ; a charming clean tree, 

 with an airy and pretty habit of growth, form- 

 ing a wide, rather than a lofty head. Its 

 great merit is the lively cheerful tint of its 

 leaves, which, being paler or tenderer in 

 colour than those of most ti-ees, afford a fine 

 contrast to elms and oaks ; hardy, a free 

 grower, and very easily transplanted. It is 

 one of the first to come into leaf; and its 



