220 IN A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDEN 



effect of the fall of the leaf is very manifest : if our 

 trees kept their leaves all the winter they would 

 probably all be weeping trees. Few people realise the 

 great weight of leaves. I have on my lawn a mulberry- 

 tree with a flower-border very near. To give light to 

 the border, the tree was trimmed one winter, so that 

 every bough was at least five feet from the grass. But 

 when the leaves came the boughs bent down to less 

 than fifteen inches from the ground ; when the leaves 

 are gone the boughs rise again ; but if they remained, 

 the tree would very soon assume the character of a 

 weeping tree. And what has occurred and been noticed 

 with that tree must be more or less true of all. 



It is a great puzzle why the tints in some years are 

 much brighter than in others. In some way it must 

 depend on the amount of rain and sunshine, and pro- 

 bably it depends chiefly on the amount of sunshine, 

 for the bright summer of the Jubilee year ended in a 

 richly coloured autumn ; and I suppose that the same 

 atmospheric conditions which are needful for the ripen- 

 ing and colouring of our fruits are also needful to the 

 ripening and colouring of our leaves; and as the 

 botanist carefully notes the forms and colours of the 

 ripe fruits, it seems to me that he leaves part of his 

 task unfinished when he takes no notice of the forms 

 and colours of the ripe leaves. 



