64 NEIGHBORING IH PR V E-M E NTS. 



leave them as open and sunny as possible. If, however, B.'s 

 bare lot stood unflanked by old trees or old places, then his aim 

 should be materially changed, and a few large trees, and some 

 shrubbery, would enter into his designs for planting. Though 

 farther on we shall endeavor to impress again the necessity of re- 

 straint in choosing but few among the thousands of trees, shrubs, 

 and flowers that are offered to every planter, it is appropriate that, 

 in this chapter on Neighboring Improvements, we should also sug- 

 gest to planters how very few of all the sylvan and floral treasures 

 that beautify the surface of the globe, each one's half acre or five 

 acres can comfortably accommodate. As every city has its hun- 

 dreds or thousands of good and charming people, whose acquaint- 

 ance we may never have time to make, we very sensibly confine 

 our companionship to a few congenial families, in whose intimate 

 friendliness we have much more pleasure than if we were to 

 " spread too thin " in efforts to embrace an entire community. 

 Just so with the populous best society in the community of trees, 

 to whose members the citizen is about to be introduced. He had 

 better abandon the idea of domesticating them all into his home 

 circle. He may even leave scores of the best families out entirely, 

 and still have all that he can well entertain and cultivate. But by 

 means of neighborhood association in improvements, the neighbor- 

 hood, as a whole, may furnish examples of almost every kind of 

 vegetable beauty that the climate admits of. Suppose, for instance, 

 that a dozen neighbors, known as A. to L. respectively, have each 

 an acre to devote to decorative planting. Laid out in the old way, 

 with the stereotype allowance of evergreens, deciduous trees, and 

 shrubs, they would, as plantations, have but little more interest 

 after one was seen than duplicate copies of a book that we have 

 done with. But if A. shall conclude to make the pines and birches 

 his specialty, and procure all the varieties that are pleasing to the 

 eye, which grow well in our climate, and arrange them around his 

 home under the direction of some intelligent planter who knows 

 the best locations for each, he will find, at the end of ten years, 

 that his place will be a distinguished one. He will have about 

 fifty varieties of hardy pines to choose from, among which from ten 

 to twenty are trees of great beauty ; and the beautiful birches will 



