PLANNING AND THE CATALOGUES 17 



Eagles Mere, with its grandly beautiful primeval 

 forest. 



The Norway spruces are not of America, and 

 here they show it; for the older trees are becoming 

 bedraggled, as might be expected when they are 

 called upon to endure the vicissitudes of a climate 

 with a variation of over a hundred degrees in 

 annual temperature, instead of the lesser variations 

 of the central European hills from whence it comes. 

 These dominating horse-chestnuts, however, can 

 hardly be happier on their own native Grecian 

 slopes than they are here, or more beautiful in 

 bloom; wherefore it may be that the leaf -dropping 

 trees stand the change to America better than 

 those we call evergreen. 



Most of us, familiar as we are from early child- 

 hood with its spring sweetness, consider the com- 

 mon lilac as belonging to America, of course. 

 Instead, we owe it to Bulgaria; and the many 

 "improved" varieties of it are of French origin, 

 while other and quite different lilacs come from 

 various parts of Asia, with none at all native to 

 America. The big, rugged, picturesque old lilac 

 clumps at Breeze Hill may therefore remind me 

 of the Balkans, if I can for a moment forget the 

 similar plants that were a lovely feature at my old 

 home along the Susquehanna. 



