FOLIAGE. 57 



are indeed the true dials of the year ; pale shades of all 

 denote its vernal opening ; dark and uniform shades of 

 green mark the summer ; and those of gold, crimson and 

 russet the autumn ; so that by the leaves alone we might 

 determine the month of the year. They form a delight- 

 ful ground-work both for fruit and for flowers, harmoniz- 

 ing with each and making no discord with any hues of 

 vegetation. If we consider leaves only as individual 

 objects, they will not compare with flowers either in 

 beauty of form or color. A single leaf seldom attracts a 

 great deal of attention ; but leaves in the aggregate are 

 so important a part of the beauty of Nature, that she 

 would not possess any great attraction for the sight 

 without them. A cactus, though admired as a curiosity, 

 and as the parent of magnificent flowers, is on account 

 of its leafless habit but a miserable object ; and we can 

 imagine how forlorn must be the scenery of those Peru- 

 vian regions where the different species of cactus are the 

 principal forms of vegetation. 



It is very general to admire foliage in proportion as it 

 is dense and capable of affording an impenetrable shade ; 

 but however desirable this may be to yield us a pleasant 

 retreat on a summer noon, the beauty of a tree is not 

 much improved by this quality. At a distance it pre- 

 sents a lumpish and uniform mass, with but little charac- 

 ter ; while a tree with moderately thin foliage, so thin as 

 to be penetrated by the flickering sunshine, often discov- 

 ers a great deal of character, by permitting the forms of 

 the branches to be traced through its shadows. When I 

 sit under a tree, I. want to see the blue sky faintly glim- 

 mering through the leaves, and to view their forms on its 

 clear surface when I look upwards. I would dispense 

 with a profusion of shade, if it could be obtained only by 

 shutting these things out from observation. Hence I al- 

 ways feel a sensation of gladness when rambling in a 



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