THE TREES OF AMERICA. 



lection of all the trees that belong to North America. It will, if carried out as it 

 has been undertaken, undoubtedly give a great impetus to the popular taste in land- 

 scape-gardening and the culture of ornamental trees ; and as the climate of Washing- 

 ton is one peculiarly adapted to this purpose — this national park may be made a 

 sylvan museum such as it would be difficult to equal in beauty and variety in any part 

 of the world. 



Asa part of the same movement, we must not forget to mention that the city of 

 New- York has been empowered by the State legislature to buy 160 acres of land, 

 admirably situated in the upper part of the city, and improve and embellish it for a 

 public park. A similar feeling is on foot in Philadelphia, where the Gratz estate and 

 the Lemon Hill estate are, we understand, likely to be purchased by the city for this 

 purpose. It is easy to see from these signs of the times, that gardening — both as a 

 practical art and an art of taste — is advancing side by side with the steady and rapid 

 growth of the country — and we congratulate our readers that they live in an age and 

 nation where the whole tendency is so healthful and beautiful, and where man's des- 

 tiny seems to grow brighter and better every day. 



THE TREES OF AMERICA, 



BY AN ARBORICULTURIST, PHILADELPHIA. 



An arboricultural friend has sent us the following notice of a new edition of Michaux's 

 splendid work on American Forest Trees, and Nuttall's continuation of the same, which 

 we commend to all our readers who would enrich their libraries. Ed. 



One of the very best works published on the subject of our beautiful forest trees, a 

 work which, from the accuracy of the engravings, and the beauty of their coloring, has 

 always been found indispensable for the study and identification of specimens, is undoubt- 

 edly Michaux's " North American Sylva, or a description of the Forest Trees of the 

 United States, Canada and Nova Scotia." The original edition was published in Paris, 

 and has become extremely rare, and difficult to be obtained; the plates were brought over 

 to this country by the late celebrated patron of science, William Maclure, who, for the 

 benefit of his countrymen, had an edition struck off at New Harmony, Indiana; it was 

 executed, however, so rudely, on such bad paper, and with so many typographical errors, 

 as to be nearly worthless and unsaleable. Knowing the great value of the engravings, Mr. 

 Maclure's brother presented the original copper plates to the late lamented President of 

 the Academy of Sciences at Philadelphia, in whose hands they remained untouched and 

 uninjured several years ; himself a devotee of Science, and anxious for its diffusion, he 

 looked round for some person to superintend, and for a publisher to reissue this beautiful 

 and instructive work, in a dress commensurate with its value and utility. A suitable 

 editor was found in Doctor Morton's brother-in-law, Mr. J. Jat Smith, himself a lover 

 and successful planter of these beautiful productions of nature. The plates were retouch- 

 ed where necessary, and this was not often found to be needful; the translation was care- 

 fully remoddled, and its numerous errors corrected, and Mr. Smith's son, liliewise as a 

 labor of love, undertook the laborious vork of superintending the printing, and the still 

 more onerous task of seeing that the coloring was faithfully done by experienced and cost- 

 ly artists. The freshest and best French copies were taken as the main guides, assisted 



