Trees, Shrubs and Vines 



an array of universal favorites beautiful and delectable ! 

 But pre-eminent in its double role is spring's fair emblem, 

 rustic, picturesque, and redolent of happiest memories, 

 when heaven's breath fills the apple-tree. A large pro- 

 portion of the bloom of this great family is linked with 

 spring-time associations. It is very curious that the 

 sour little crab-apple, parent stock of all the hundreds 

 of apple varieties, should surpass all fruit-trees in de- 

 licious fragrance and rosy tint — a crabbed face, betray- 

 ing byan unexpected gentle act, its kindly heart; almost 

 every community has its saintly crab -apple. 



The great attraction of a wood-ramble in early 

 May, particularly in the southern part of our territory, 

 is the abundant flowering dogwood, its rather uncouth 

 figure suggestive of an apple-tree, but its luxuriant 

 bloom, so massive and beautiful at a distance, not to be 

 examined too minutely. It seems almost slovenly in 

 nature to tip off so crudely the ends of the four petal- 

 like bracts that pass by the name of ' ' flower, ' ' and we 

 are seldom so inclined to impugn her taste or good 

 judgment ; we botanists would certainly have managed 

 the business differently. One quite forgets the tree after 

 its spring beauty has departed — quite a usual circum- 

 stance, however, in human nature — but in autumn it 

 returns to favor with its brilliant crimson leaf and ber- 

 ries. Early blossoms, showy autumn foliage, and late- 

 hanging bunches of scarlet fruit give to the dogwood a 

 more protracted period of ornamentation than is found 

 in any other species. A red-blossomed variety, in cul- 

 tivation and rarely found wild, is very effective when 

 mingled with the white. Humbler members of the 



52 



