io8 



The European larches upon the place are the remains of 

 an acre of these trees planted in 1879, but of the original 

 plantation scarcely one-fifth of the trees have survived and 

 those which have, although in many cases they have 

 reached a height of twenty feet, present a poor appearance r 

 having suffered from the attacks of insects and disease. It 

 is evident that this tree will never, in our soil and climate, 

 fulfil the expectations which were entertained when it was- 

 recommended for general planting rather more than ten- 

 years ago, but the experiments with it, although unsuccess- 

 ful, possess the negative value of teaching us what to avoid 

 in this direction. That this tree flourishes in some poor 

 soils in Europe may be due to the moister climate and it is- 

 to be very much doubted if it ever is generally used in New 

 England excepting as an ornamental tree in situations 

 where soil and moisture are favorable. Trees of this 

 species planted in Wenham by Timothy Pickering in the 

 early part of this century are still living, but they are evi- 

 dently failing and can not endure many years longer. 



As might naturally be expected so gross a feeder as the 

 American elm shows evidence of starvation in the gravelly 

 soil, yet one tree of this species near the house has done 

 very well, reaching a height of twenty-five feet with a trunk 

 circumference of two feet, nine inches, at four feet from the 

 ground. The English elms planted have more dense heads 

 and fuller foliage than their American relatives and give 

 promise of longer life and better growth. One of these 

 trees has a trunk circumference of two feet, seven inches, 

 at four feet from the ground, and another of three feet, four 

 inches, at the same height. 



The catalpas have grown very well but the tendency to- 

 form wide spreading heads with heavy branches renders 

 them particularly liable to injury in high winds, and there- 

 fore they require too much care in constant pruning to 

 make them desirable excepting as occasional ornamental 

 trees. 



The virgilia, mountain ash, negundo, acacia (honey 



