1664 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART I?ke ~ 
1492 
it 
miles from the metropolis; six or eight poplars, taller than the house, often 
obstructing its view, and overpowering and diminishing it by their magnitude 
and stiffness; while a few low trees, such as thorns and laburnums, mixed 
with lilacs and other shrubs, would have formed subordinate groups and 
masses to the house, and served to increase its effect in the landscape. This 
poplar, or some equally fastigiate tree, should appear in all plantations and 
belts that are made with a view to picturesque effect ; as in fig. 1523., where 
the outline is varied as well as the face of the plantation. Masses of round- 
headed trees, such as jig. 1524., though they might be seen to advantage in 
some situations, when grouping with other objects, yet, when contemplated by 
themselves, are quite uninteresting, from their dull and monotonous appearance; 
but add the poplars, as in fig. 1524 a., and you immediately create an interest, 
and give a certain character to the group, which it did not before possess. 
The causes are these: — The poplars, which are taller than the other trees, are 
so distributed as to break the mass into several groups, each terminating in a 
point; and the central group, being larger than the others, predominates over 
them, and forms the mass into awhole. The pointed heads of the Lombardy 
poplars also form a pleasing contrast to the round heads of the other trees, 
and break the too uniform line exhibited in the sky outline of jig. 1524. The 
branches of the poplars, rising stiffly upwards, contrast with, and render more 
