General Considerations 203 



appearance of appropriateness, the ornamental value of a 

 tree must always be judged with reference to the place in 

 which it stands or is to be put. Hence, a conifer whose beauty 

 lies in the pyramidal, or rather conical crown with branches 

 down to the base is not beautiful as a street tree, because its 

 inappropriateness of form in such position is at once appar- 

 ent; the copper beech, a beautiful object in itself, loses its 

 ornamental value by being planted promiscuously and in 

 large clumps; like all unusual things it is beautiful only in 

 singleness when properly set off. Similarly the use of droop- 

 ing trees, dwarfs, fastigiate forms, or of any peculiar colors 

 or shapes in masses and set out promiscuously; or of antago- 

 nistic shapes in combination, destroys the ornamental value 

 which any one, singly, might possess. 



Hence, it is possible only to point out those characteristics 

 in the development of species whicli furnish the basis for 

 judging ornamental value; the individual situation or location 

 being an essential point in such judgment. 



Since in northern latitudes the deciduous-leaved trees are 

 without foliage at least for half the year, the shape of the 

 crown and the kind of baric should receive more considera- 

 tion than is usually the case. Indeed, the skeleton of the 

 branch system (made up of branches and twigs of varying 

 number, length, thickness, position, and angle of insertion) 

 imparts to the crown its typical aspect both in winter and 

 summer, for the position and density of the foliage is depend- 

 ent on the position and density of the branchlets. 



We recognize in the first place the monopodial type, i.e., 

 the one in which one main axis or bole persistently dominates 

 the whole system into late life, the branches remaining rela- 

 atively inferior, as is usually the case with firs, spruces, pines, 

 and other conifers, at least during their young period, and with 

 the Tuhp-tree among the broad-leaf kinds; the dichopodial 



