WOODLANDS 



THOUGHTS of grateful shade, and flickering bars 

 of sunlight falling across the varied and 

 dainty leafage of woodlands, have always filled 

 the soul with delight. The more natural the forest 

 glade, the pleasanter becomes a stroll through its leafy 

 aisles, and the masses of its trees and shrubs and vines 

 have a wonderful power of refreshment and restfulness. 

 It may be hard to believe, but it is a fact nevertheless, 

 that it is almost impossible to create by human skill a 

 perfect imitation of a natural forest glade, for there are 

 thousands of little touches of genuine wild beauty that 

 no horticulturist will be able to produce, and it seems to 

 be essential to the highest enjoyment of genuine wood- 

 land effects for every tree and shrub to have grown 

 spontaneously, and to have been left by itself. This 

 principle of leaving well alone in the smallest wood lot of 

 actual village home grounds should, therefore, guide us in 

 all our dealings with large or small tracts of woodland, 

 for any extra planting or pruning, beyond cutting out 

 dead limbs, or an occasional tree that is growing too 

 close to its neighbor, is sure to impair the special charm 

 of such places, which seems so easy to obtain and is so 

 difficult to hold uninjured. 



