SHRUBS AND TREES. 



123 



For arbors or bowers the hemlock is equally well adapted. 

 We would suggest as the simplest form to begin with, that four 

 hemlocks be planted at the intersection of two walks, say five or 

 six feet apart. By cutting back the side branches to within one 

 foot of the trunk, the growth at the tops will be increased so that 

 in five or six years they may be tall enough to allow the opposite 

 diagonal corners to be twisted together. If the trees are all thrifty, 

 the twist will become fixed in two years. The fragrant and grace- 

 ful foliage of the hemlock can thus be made to embower retired 

 seats, or make quaint openings for diverging paths. Such arbors or 

 arches can be made much more quickly with carpentry and lovely 

 vines, but the permanent and more unusual structures made with 

 living trees must nevertheless be more interesting. 



The hemlock may be used to make artificial pavilions of a 

 still larger kind if trained through a period of ten or fifteen years. 

 Suppose six trees to be planted at the corners of a hexagon ten or 

 twelve feet in diameter. Let them feather naturally to the ground 

 on the outside of the group, and trim to within one or two feet of 

 the trunks on the inside. When twelve feet high, pass a rope 

 around the circle, on a level, two 

 or three feet below their tops, so 

 as to draw them towards the cen- 

 tre of the circle as far as the main 

 stems may be safely bent, which 

 will probably be about three feet 

 inside of the perpendicular. If 

 the circle is twelve feet in diame- 

 ter, this will still leave six feet un- 

 inclosed at the top. The rope is 

 to be left around them until the 

 trees have grown five to six feet 

 higher, when another binding will 

 bring their tops together, and if 



they are long enough they may be twisted together. Fig. 35 is a 

 section of the stems alone, to illustrate the general form intended. 

 When the six trees 'are together at the centre they should be made 

 to grow like one, and the branches that grow from the upper sides 



Fig. 35. 



