32 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



culture. Simplicity always looks better than over-ornamentation, 

 and large collections are not necessarily tasteful, or desirable. 



These suggestions apply also to shrubbery. A few flowering 

 or ornamental shrubs, judiciously placed about the lawn or flower 

 garden, will add much to the appearance of a home. But do not 

 overload. It is much better to have a little that is thrifty and 

 healthy than to have more than can be well cared for. The lilac 

 and syringa are better than many of the uncertain novelties of tree 

 peddlers. 



Trees — the most beautiful objects in nature — should not be 

 overlooked. The average farmer has so much to do with trees as 

 lumber, or as objects to be removed to fit the laud for cultivation, 

 that he regards them as too trivial, commonplace, or weed-like, to 

 be esteemed as objects of superlative beauty, to be planted and 

 carefully tended for their looks. But nothing adds more to the 

 pleasantness of a home than trees judiciousl}^ planted about it. 

 A few near the house ma}' break the fury of winter blizzard or 

 summer heat in addition to their aesthetic uses. Trees are particu- 

 larly appropriate by the roadside. How charming they are rising 

 from the smooth green ! Why should not the roadside trees — 

 enchanting mankind and wooing the birds with the charm of their 

 rich foliage and symmetrical shape — be the rule instead of the 

 exception. Many a farmer who calls himself enterprising and 

 who does raise good crops, forgets that, with a few hours' work, 

 he could plant a dozen trees that would greatly enhance the value 

 of his estate, and continue to yield blessings of beauty long after 

 he has passed away. Here, too, common varieties possess as 

 many elements of real beauty as those more rare. There are no 

 more beautiful trees than the common maple, elm, spruce, or 

 cedar. There is a row of hemlocks in front of my residence in 

 the countr}', and m}- personal attachment for that kind is very 

 great. Some writers, combining aesthetics with the material, 

 advocate the hickory and chestnut for roadside planting. It may 

 seem a little thing to bring a sapling from the woods some cloudy 

 day and plant it near the house, but it will prove a pleasiug and 

 profitable investment. 



Humboldt sa^^s, " Trees have about them something beautiful 

 and attractive, even to the fancy. Since they cannot change their 

 places, the}' are witnesses of all the changes that go on around 

 them ; and, as some reach great age, they become, as it were, 



