100 KECOED OF HOETICULTURE. 



intimate acquaintance than is usually bestoAvecl upon them. 

 With the general forms of the leaves of each great family 

 ■we become so familiar, that it requires something strikingly 

 different from the ordinary type to attract our especial at- 

 tention. When such variations occur, we instinctively 

 pause and exclaim How curious ! though the object may not 

 be more beautiful than the common form ; still, its rarity 

 adds to its value, and we appreciate it in proportion to its 

 deviation from the ordinary forms of other members of the 

 same family. 



These peculiar freaks of nature are becoming quite com- 

 mon in nearly every family of cultivated plants. Tliey are 

 also quite popular, esjDecially those classed as ornamental 

 plants ; and there has been such a demand for these during 

 tlie last few years, that it is to be feared many very infe- 

 rior varieties have been brought forward. These peculiar 

 variations in leaf assist very materially in affording variety 

 of color to our groups of trees, as well as striking contrasts 

 between individuals of the same species. Nothing will add 

 more to the general appearance of a place than the intro- 

 duction of a few of tlie curious-leaved trees among the 

 ordinary kinds. 



Among the well-known curious-leaved hardy trees we 

 name the following as worthy of cultivation : 



Alder. — Cut-leaved, very handsome. Fig. 15 shows two 

 leaves one quarter natural size. 



Beech. — Fern-leaved, leaves long and slender. 



Beech. — Cut-leaved, very neat and pretty. 



Beech. — Purple-leaved, one of the most valuable. 



Birch. — Cut-leaved, weeping. 



