Hints on the Planting of Ornamental Trees. 387 



so much need. Two large posts, four to six inches through, 

 are set on two sides of each tree, and two large slats or boards 

 on the other two sides stay it up, and prevent injury to the 

 trunk. Such is the modern mode of planting trees in our 

 streets, avenues, and puhlic grounds. 



Now, can any body wonder at the failure which attends 

 such work as this ? Could they expect ever to see a beauti- 

 ful tree from such mutilated objects ? The answer is easy. 

 No reasonable man ever would. Poles they are, and such as 

 may struggle through an operation like this will remain pol- 

 lards forever. The real character of the tree is lost the 

 moment its branches are sawed off; its grace, symmetry, 

 regularity, beauty, or Avhatever may be its prevailing charac- 

 teristic, is gone, and can no more be regained than a broken 

 limb, badly reset, can ever preserve its natural roundness, 

 proportion and grace. 



Custom has so wedded individuals to this system that it is 

 hard to depart from it. If a man of experience in his pro- 

 fession suggests that the operation of planting such large trees 

 is a waste of time and expense, he is laughed at for his as- 

 surance. If a nurseryman suggests that smaller, healthy and 

 well rooted ones will be twice as large at the end of five 

 years, he is accused of self-interest, and a desire to palm off 

 his own goods. So, between the two, the planter pursues 

 his own course, going over the work again and again, replac- 

 ing the dead trees, till, at last, dear-bought experience con- 

 vinces him, if he had sought the proper advice at first, and 

 confided the work to skilful hands, he would have been far 

 better off. 



This is no fancy sketch. We can appeal to dozens of our 

 readers for its truth. We have seen hundreds of trees planted 

 in this way, and, at the end of five years, not one in twenty 

 was alive, and such were growing only miserable looking 

 objects. Hundreds of dollars are paid yearly, in the neigh- 

 borhood of Boston, for planting trees with no better results 

 than we have stated. It has always surprised us how indi- 

 viduals will willingly pay from one to two dollars to plant and 

 fence up a tree, and yet begrudge more than half that sum 

 for the tree itself. 



