12 MY REAL ESTATE. 



some entire and oval, others mitten- 

 shaped, and others yet three-lobed ; an ex- 

 tremely pretty bit of originality, suiting 

 admirably with the general comely habit of 

 this tree. There are some trees, as some 

 men, that seem born to dress well. 



Along with the sassafras I was delighted 

 to find one or two small specimens of the 

 flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), an- 

 other original genius, and one which I now 

 for the first time became acquainted with 

 as a tenant of my own. Its deeply veined 

 leaves are not in any way remarkable (un- 

 less it be for their varied autumnal tints), 

 and are all fashioned after one pattern. 

 Its blossoms, too, are small and inconspic- 

 uous ; but these it sets round with large 

 white bracts (universally mistaken for 

 petals by the uninitiated), and in flower- 

 ing time it is beyond comparison the show- 

 iest tree in the woods, while its fruit is the 

 brightest of coral red. I hope these sap- 

 lings of mine may hold their own in the 

 struggle for life, and be flourishing in all 

 their beauty when my successor goes to 

 look at them fifty years hence. 



Having spoken of the originality of the 



