THE MANSE GARDEN. 



PART FIRST. 



TREES. 



OF all the trees of the forest, the native holly is the 

 most interesting and beautiful. Whether young, as 

 a shrub in the garden, or old, as a lonely tree of the 

 mountain, its glowing fruit and glossy leaves, gleam- 

 ing in the winter sun, prove the delight of all eyes. 

 It allures to its own hurt the mischievous schoolboy; 

 it is the laurel of Burns, and the sanctuary of sing- 

 ing birds. Shielding its songsters from the hawk, 

 it shelters them in the storm, and feeds them with 

 its fruit when other trees are bare. It does one's 

 heart good to see the humble blackbird picking a red 

 berry amidst the falling snow. 



The beauty of this tree is justly appreciated, but 

 its use is comparatively neglected. With a little 

 pains and patience, it were capable of altering the 

 whole aspect of the country, and of adding largely to 

 the comfort of every rural abode. For all the pur- 

 poses of a hedge it is unrivaled ; for ornamenting 

 the lawn, or affording shelter and retirement to the 

 pleasure walk, it has no equal. But lawns and plea- 

 sure grounds may not figure on the pages of so hum- 



A2 



