181 



going method of lopping Elms might be 

 thought a good one, in some respects ; 

 but certainly it is one of the worst that 

 absurdity could have invented, for the 

 increase of timber. Were there no other 

 means of preventing trees overshadowing 

 the land, it would be some apology for 

 persisting in so barbarous a practice, but 

 as the fact is otherwise, it must be consi- 

 dered as evincing at once the want of 

 taste and skill ; the custom being equally 

 disgusting and absurd. 



We frequently see ashes, and sometimes 

 oaks, trimmed, so as to appear no better, 

 but often much worse than No. 2 on PL 

 IV. — Here, every additional lopping 

 leaves additional stumps; so that, at last, 



deformity stands conspicuous. Such 



subjects, however, may easily be trained 

 into ornamental figures, by thinning out 

 part of the shoots, and letting the others 

 remain to form a head. Every oMer at- 

 tempt to improve them would be unavail- 



