Hints on the Planting of Ornamental Trees. 389 



miiid that three things are necessary to ensure perfect success, 

 viz., the Selection of the Trees, — the Manner of Planting, — 

 and their After-treatment. On these heads we have a few 

 words of advice : — 



1. The Selection of the Trees. — Care should be taken 

 in the selection of trees. As a general rule, they should not 

 be more than twelve feet high, and from that down to eight. 

 Of course, if great pains are taken and fine trees can be found, 

 they may be removed of a much larger size, though the risk 

 of success increases. But it should be recollected that the 

 trees must be from cultivated ground. As recourse must be 

 had generally to the nurseryman, it should also be borne in 

 mind that trees growing in nursery rows are more or less in- 

 jured every year that they stand there after ten or twelve feet 

 high ; they begin to lose their lower branches and their 

 fine spreading form ; soon spindle up, and, in fine, become 

 almost unfit for removal to open, exposed situations. If trees 

 have been allowed full room to extend their branches, then 

 larger ones would succeed better ; but they can rarely be 

 found. 



Different formed trees are required for different situations ; 

 but in all cases select a rather low-branched tree, even for 

 a street, as one that has been denuded of its side branches, 

 while young, always suffers by the act, and continues a top- 

 heavy tree. It is easy to prune oft' all such as are in the way 

 at the time of setting out, if the tree is for the street ; and if 

 not, they should never be removed. For a park or pleasure- 

 ground the nearer they branch to the root the better. Do 

 not allow the pruning mania to attack you, nor listen to those 

 who would endeavor to persuade you that you have no taste 

 in such matters as the choice of a handsome tree. Some 

 people would not know a tree from a bush unless it was 

 pruned up like a barber's pole. 



2. The Manner of Planting. — Every body knows, at 

 least they think they do, how to plant an ornamental tree ; 

 consequently our advice may be gratuitous. Notwithstanding 

 this, all may not know how to do the work in the best manner j 

 and we write for the inexperienced, not the professional man. 



