DECIDUOUS TREES 105 



mass of trees and shrubs on the lawn. As a rule, 

 beeches do not transplant easily, and should be, there- 

 fore, set out small, four to six feet high. Beech hedges 

 present a picturesqueness and variety of outline that go 

 far to redeem the general stiffness and monotony of the 

 hedge when compared with the varying play of form and 

 color that characterize a well-selected and grouped bor- 

 der of shrubs and trees. The hornbeams possess 

 many of the good qualities and attributes of the beech, 

 and apparently thrive in the poorest soil. 



It is difficult to classify trees, and say which is com- 

 paratively best among the modifying circumstances of 

 soil and exposure, but for general excellence we feel 

 forced to rank the oak very high, as high, perhaps, as 

 any. It is conceded on all sides that oaks are sturdy, 

 enduring, and picturesque, both in rough bark and glossy 

 and curiously indented leaf, but it is objected that they 

 are slow of growth and difficult to transplant. Gener- 

 ally it is the fault of the planting and quality of the soil 

 used that retard the growth of an oak. It is surpris- 

 ing to see how closely a pin oak, when it has been care- 

 fully planted in rich soil, will keep in size to a linden or 

 maple, and as for the difficulty in transplanting, all we 

 can say is that it usually grows out of the fact that the 

 specimen in question has not been moved for the purpose 

 of getting new and abundant fiber later than five or 

 six years before the last date of planting. It is likely, 

 moreover, that it will be found, in case of failure, that 

 a large stunted specimen, ten to twelve feet high, has 

 been used, instead of one four to six feet in height that 

 has been recently transplanted. 



The pin oak, one of the best growing kinds, is consid- 

 ered valuable on account of its finely formed dark trunk 



