TREE-PLANTING. 21 



In passing from this subject of choice in decidu- 

 ous trees and shrubs, I would suggest, in addition 

 to visits to woods and copse, to the well-orna- 

 mented places of men who have long gratified a 

 fine taste in this respect, that the reader also make 

 time to see occasionally a nursery like that of 

 S. B. Parsons & Co., at Flushing, N. Y. There is 

 no teaching like that of the eyes ; and the amateur 

 who would do a bit of landscape-gardening about 

 his own home learns what he would like and what 

 he can do by seeing shrubs and trees in their 

 various stages of growth and beauty. 



I shall treat the subject of evergeeens at the 

 close of this chapter. 



As a rule, I have not much sympathy with the 

 effort to set out large trees, in the hope of ob- 

 taining shade more quickly. The trees have to 

 be trimmed up and cut back so greatly that their 

 symmetry is often destroyed. They are also apt 

 to be checked in their growth so seriously by such 

 removal that a slender sapling, planted at the same 

 time, overtakes and passes them. I prefer a young 

 tree, straight-stemmed, healthy, and typical of its 

 species or variety. Then we may watch its rapid 

 natural development as we would that of a child. 

 Still, when large trees can be removed in winter 

 with a great ball of frozen earth that insures the 

 preservation of the fibrous roots, much time can 



