CHAPTER IV 



A LITTLE ABOUT TREES 



IT is with hesitation that I have ventured 

 to approach so large a subject in a lim- 

 ited space. A landscape gardener to whom I 

 confided the fact that this little book would 

 contain a short chapter upon trees that might 

 be useful to the amateur, turned a withering 

 glance upon me with the remark that "when 

 Mr. Blank's large two-volume work upon 

 trees is comparatively elementary, what can 

 you possibly say in one chapter that will be 

 useful?" Of course I was deeply humili- 

 ated and could make no fitting reply. But 

 the idea remained with me. I knew my own 

 aversion to searching through comprehensive 

 works of many volumes when I needed only 

 a little practical information, and have, there- 

 fore, taken courage again to write briefly 

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