ROUND-HEADED TREES. 103 



Sect. III. — The Ornamental Character of Trees 

 IN Combination. 



The massing of plantations obscures to the eye the 

 pecuhar forms of the trees "^hich compose them, and 

 iadeed modifies the actual forms to a great extent. It 

 is only -svhen standing detached, or in thin gi'oups, or 

 at most on the margins of plantations, that trees fidly 

 develope their natural characters. In the depth of a 

 forest or thick wood they are usually so crowded to- 

 gether, and so drawn up towards the Hght, that their 

 forms have little resemblance to the figures produced 

 by their free and unimpeded growth. Still there is a 

 distinct character in each ; for a mass of oaks has not 

 in any circumstances the same aspect as one of beeches 

 or elms, neither does a dense dark plantation of Scotch 

 firs present the spiry and sen-ated outlines of a wood of 

 larch and spruce. There is, therefore, still abmidant 

 character remaining even in combined and crowded trees 

 to aUow scope for design, and to afford materials for 

 scenic beauty to one who has sufiicient skiU to seize 

 and employ it. In this part of our subject we shall 

 content ourselves with adverting to what we have called 

 the round-headed and the pyramidal trees ; the other 

 two classes are so sparingly used, and planted so much 

 for the production of those particidar effects which we 

 have already noticed, that we need not recur to them. 



Round-headed Trees. — Of these we may remark gene- 

 rally that they are to be employed when continuity of 

 outline in the clump and plantation is the object aimed 

 at. Thev mass more denselv together than any other trees. 



