NEIGHBORING IMPROVEMENTS. 65 



sparkle among them as well set jewels. The pines will em- 

 brace a variety of sizes and forms, from the graceful and lofty white 

 pine of our forests, and the much larger pines of California and 

 Oregon, down to interesting bushy dwarfs, which do not exceed the 

 lilac in size. Making a specialty of the pine and the birch fami- 

 lies will not prevent A. from having a due proportion of open 

 lawn, and a small variety of the finest flowering shrubs and flowers, 

 proportioned to the size of his lawn. 



Now we will suppose Mr. B. is his next neighbor, and that he 

 chooses to make the maple tree his specialty. No one familiar 

 with the almost endless number of varieties of the maple, foreign 

 as well as native, with all their diversity of growth and wealth of 

 foliage, with their spring loveliness and autumn glories, their clean- 

 liness and their thrift, can for a moment doubt the beauty that 

 might be produced under proper management on Mr. B.'s acre. A 

 few trees, but a few, of more irregular outlines, should be admitted 

 as a foil to the compacter maples. 



Next Mr. C. must choose his favorites. Supposing his house 

 to be of some unpicturesque style, he may take the different species 

 and varieties of the horse-chestnut, sEsculus, and the common 

 chestnut, Castanea. At certain seasons of the year his place would 

 be unrivalled in display of flowers and foliage. 



If D. will take the oak, he will not find his acre large 

 enough to accommodate one-half of the hardy and beautiful varie- 

 ties which are natives of his own country alone. But as the oak is 

 rather slow in developing its best traits, Mr. D. would be wise to 

 find a site for his specialty on which some varieties of oak have 

 already attained good size. 



The elms, with some other trees that contrast well with them, 

 will furnish a beautiful variety for E. 



Mr. F. may make trees of gorgeous autumn foliage his speci- 

 alty, and, while surrounded by some of the loveliest of spring and 

 summer trees, may have his place all aglow in September and Oc- 

 tober with the dogwood, the liquidamber, the pepperidge or tupe- 

 lo, the sassafras, the sugar, scarlet, and Norway maples, the scarlet 

 oak, and many others. 



If G. will make a specialty of lawn, shrubs, and flowers alone, 

 5 



