HOW THE WILD APPLE GROWS. G7 



contend with, than anything else. No wonder they 

 are prompted to grow thorns at last, to defend them 

 selves against such foes. In their thorniness, how 

 ever, there is no malice, only some malic acid. 



The rocky pastures of the tract I have referred to 

 for they maintain their ground best in a rocky 

 field are thickly sprinkled with these little tufts, 

 reminding you often of some rigid gray mosses or 

 lichens, and you see thousands of little trees just 

 springing up between them, with the seed still at 

 tached to them. 



Being regularly clipped all around each year by the 

 cows, as a hedge with shears, they are often of a per 

 fect conical or pyramidal form, from one to four feet 

 high, and more or less sharp, as if trimmed by the 

 gardener s art. In the pastures on Nobscot Hill and 

 its spurs they make fine dark shadows when the sun is 

 low. They are also an excellent covert from hawks 

 for many small birds that roost and build in them. 

 Whole flocks perch in them at night, and I have seen 

 three robins nests in one which was six feet in di 

 ameter. 



No doubt many of these are already old trees, if 

 you reckon from the day they were planted, but in 

 fants still when you consider their development and 

 the long life before them. I counted the annual rings 

 of some which were just one foot high, and as wide as 

 high, and found that they were about twelve years 

 old, but quite sound and thrifty ! They were so low 

 that they were unnoticed by the walker, while many 

 of their contemporaries from the nurseries were al 

 ready bearing considerable crops. But what you gain 

 in time is perhaps in this case, too, lost in power, 

 that is, in the vigor of the tree. This is their pyram 

 idal state. 



