10 Retrospective View of the 



better adapted for the purpose. The silver maple is one of 

 these, growing with the rapidity of the elm, forming a grace- 

 ful head, with beautiful silvery foliage, oftentimes a droop- 

 ing spray, and with one of the cleanest and smoothest barks 

 of all our many fine trees. Michaux states that, on the Ohio, 

 where it grows abundantly, he always "contemplated it with 

 unwearied admiration," We would highly recommend it as 

 one of the most attractive shade trees we possess. 



Rural Architecture. 



Rural Architecture has received less of our attention in the 

 past volume than in many of the preceding ones : this has not 

 been, however, on account of there being less interest mani- 

 fested in it, but rather from the greater desire for pomologi- 

 cal information. 



The taste for cottage and villa residences has undergone a 

 great change within a few years. Formerly, every dwelling 

 was formed after some Grecian model, and without the thought 

 of fitness or propriety, farmhouses, schoolhouses, banks, 

 churches, &c,, were all the same unmeaning representation of 

 some Grecian temple. Now the rural Gothic prevails, and 

 with the same ambitious desire to make every building, no 

 matter how humble, complete in all its details — the same un- 

 meaning expression is stamped on all. Verge boards and 

 gables, without any reference to the form, or size, of the 

 building, are the features which are to give it the Gothic air. 

 This is to be much regretted. But the only remedy lies in 

 the dissemination of a true architectural taste. Few men 

 who build know what they in reality want ; they entrust, 

 therefore, their views to the carpenter rather than the archi- 

 tect, and with the idea, too common with many of the former, 

 of mistaking profuseness of decoration for beauty and ex- 

 pression, often destroy the completeness of a very well arranged 

 plan. 



Many very beautiful villas have been erected in the vicin- 

 ity of Boston, and the improvement of the cottage architec- 

 ture of New England generally has been very great ; there is 

 yet room, however, for still greater improvement. We hope 

 to find the opportunity, in the course of the present volume, 



