THE NEW TREE BEAUTY 259 



the fall. Many of them have balsamic and agreeable 

 perfumes, and the carpet of needles which collects 

 beneath them is soft and odorous. 



The garden-lover cannot use trees better than to work 

 on the principle of putting the timber trees at the side 

 of his house and Conifers in selected positions at the 

 front, except in such cases as demand the exclusion of 

 some unsightly object. Where avenues are to be formed 

 the timber trees may have preference for parks and the 

 Conifers for gardens. The commonest mistake made 

 with big trees is to bring them right into the garden and 

 close to the house, where their proportions cannot be 

 seen to advantage, and where their gross feeding, leaf- 

 fall and drip are noxious. A big object demands distance. 

 The Beech is perhaps the least and the Elm the most 

 objectionable of garden trees. The Lime has a some- 

 what sickly scent in its flowering season and drips honey- 

 dew. The Sycamore is apt to show a good deal of ugly 

 leaf-blotch, but the Maples give beautiful autumn 

 colours. The Oak is the noblest of park trees, but not 

 the best for the garden. The black or Italian Poplar is 

 useful because of its quick growth and hardiness, and 

 the Aspen is of interest from its beauty and restless- 

 ness. The Chestnut has beauty of flower as well as 

 of form to commend it. The Ash is a tree of little 

 grace. 



The tree-planter, whether using deciduous timber or 

 evergreen Coniferous trees, will naturally seek for the 

 best varieties. There are degrees of merit in Oaks and 

 Beeches, in Cypresses and Thujas, just as there are in 

 Roses and Paeonies. Let us now glance at some modern 

 forms of well-known trees, beginning with the timber 

 trees. 



The Alder, Alnus glutinosa, is a good tree for moist 



