LARCHES AND THEIR UTILITY 133 



within a very Helen of Troy, and attraction of rival 

 affections, in the person of " Maud, with her exquisite 

 face." 



Perky, we take it, means trim, smart, or saucy, a 

 compliment that is more usually applied to certain 

 types of human life, usually engaged in the more 

 coquettish avocations of life, which we will leave to 

 the reader's imagination to supply their own ideas 

 of, and designations for. The adjective well denotes, 

 however, the neat shapeliness of the tree. 



If the Larch, then, as a word of construction hardly 

 accorded to a poet's idea of that flow and sound 

 which their craft crave after to ornament their 

 versification and attune their lyrics, and on that 

 account was left somewhat severely alone by them, 

 we too, but for other reasons, will follow suit, and in 

 consideration of its prior claim to native worth on 

 more worldly grounds, waive further apostrophe. 

 But in so doing let there not be attributed to us any 

 base slander that we fail in appreciation of its 

 natural and especial spring beauty. 



All these points can be fairly put forward on its 

 behalf, and in some explanation, or in extenuation 

 if required, of its numerical preponderance in our 

 more lately planted areas to-day : 



(i) Upon no tree in existence has more money 

 been spent in planting. 



(2) Upon no tree in existence has so much money 



been expended by nurserymen and culti- 

 vators. 



(3) Upon no tree has the money of all the trading 



fraternities of timber buyers and timber 

 sellers been so freely circulated. 



(4) Upon no tree have so many uses on estates 



and various other works depended. 



It may be that its origin as a name comes from 



