June Robinia and Birch. 2 1 1 



the acacia, or, more correctly, the robinia. It was 

 brought into France from Canada by a botanist called 

 Robin, in the reign of Henry IV., and has thriven so 

 well that you find it all over the country. The re- 

 markable rapidity of its growth is a great temptation to 

 its use as an ornamental tree ; but now come the objec- 

 tions. Its enemies dislike it because the leaves grow 

 late in the spring, and some people cannot endure the 

 odor of its flowers ; which to me, however, is very 

 agreeable, especially when it comes on the soft, mild, 

 evening air of June, and is thus wafted from a little 

 distance. Other objections are that the stem is ugly 

 because so deeply furrowed, and that the thin, light 

 foliage gives but little shade. I confess that there is 

 almost a contradiction in character between such a rude 

 stem and such delicate leaves and flowers, or at least a 

 very striking contrast, and I admit that the shade given 

 is not comparable to that of the lime-tree or the horse- 

 chestnut ; still it may be answered, that we feel the 

 delicacy of the leaves all the more from the roughness 

 of the furrowed trunk, and that the robinia gives as 

 much shade as the birch, whose beauty is generally 

 appreciated. The branching of the robinia is rather 

 straggling and wayward, so that the twigs do not com- 

 pose so well together as those of the ash or birch ; but 

 even this is interesting as a special characteristic, for if 

 all trees threw their branches out in exactly the same 

 manner we should be wearied by their monotony. 

 There is a great deal of imprevu in the branching of the 

 robinia ; no painter would invent such branching unless 



