158 HOME LIFE IN FLORIDA. 



comer is fortunate euoiigli to find a few large oak trees 

 growing on the site he has fixed on for his house, and then, 

 if the latter is built to the northeast of these and not very 

 far away, their dense foliage will shield the southern and 

 western rooms from the direct rays of the summer's sun, a 

 blessing not to be despised. 



As to the pine trees that may be on the building site, 

 they must come down, every one of them — nay, we are 

 wrong, a lightning-rod is wanted, and tlfese tall pines 

 make very effective ones ; there should be one left standing 

 on each side of the house, deadened of course, and so far 

 away (but no farther) that, if some day they come top- 

 pling down before a lively breeze, they will not come 



Tap, tap, tapping at the door, 

 Splintering that and something more. 



In planting shade trees, and this is one of the first things 

 that should be done, no more beautiful and no more rapid 

 growers can be found than the Texas umbrella tree and its 

 kindred, but less symmetrical tree, the China-berrij. Their 

 graceful, fern-like foliage adds not a little to the attractive 

 looks of a Florida home. 



The mulberry is another rapidly growing shade tree. 

 Two or three of these set on the south side of a house 

 will, in a few years, give as dense a shade as one need de- 

 sire; but these trees have the disadvantage of being at a 

 certain season almost stripped of their leaves by an ugly 

 worm that takes possession of them and well-nigh skele- 

 tonizes them. The Russian mulberry, however, is exempt 

 from this drawback, having no insect enemies. In the 

 winter also they are apt to lose their leaves just as they do 

 at the North. 



Where porches can not be afforded, and trees are being 

 waited for, an excellent plan is to put up an arbor such 



