CHARACTERISTICS OF TREES. 



283 



persons with whose characters these traits har- 

 monize. These observations refer to outlines 

 only ; the expressions of trees produced by other 

 traits often modify our preferences for trees of 

 favorite forms, by presenting combinations of 

 other kinds of beauty in trees of less interest- 

 ing outlines. 



ROUND-HEADED TREES. By round-headed is 

 meant simply a general effect of roundness, or of 

 smoothness of outline in the several masses that 

 compose the head of a tree. The young apple 

 tree, Fig. 65, is a perfect type of this form, and 

 may more specifically be called a globular tree, 

 to distinguish the complete roundness of its 

 form from those other round-headed trees which 

 are more nearly hemispherical. 



Among round-headed trees the different forms 

 of roundness are distinguished by more specific 

 names. The sugar maple usually takes the form 

 of an egg with the small end up, as shown in 

 Fig. 66, - and is therefore termed ovate. The 

 hickory, Fig. 67, more nearly fills the geometric 

 figure that we call oval. The elm, Fig. 68, fills 

 one-half a semicircle or more, with its head, and 

 is of a class of trees appropriately called um- 

 brella-topped ; technically they are called oblate, 

 or flattened-oval. An old apple tree, Fig. 69, 

 is a good example of this form, and Fig. 58, 

 page 280, of a well grown sassafras, is another. 



The white oak, Fig. 70, the native chestnut 

 (castama), and the hickories, all have outlines 

 much broken, but the general effect is that of 

 rounded forms. 



Many of the pines when grown to ma- 

 turity become round-headed trees, though pyra- 

 midal when young. 



FIG. 65. 



FIG. 66. 



FIG. 69. 



