Trees, Shrubs and Vines 
an array of universal favorites beautiful and delectable ! 
But pre-eminent in its double 7d is spring’s fair emblem, 
rustic, picturesque, and redolent of happiest memories, 
when heaven’s breath fills the apple-tree. A large pro- 
portion of the bloom of this great family is linked with 
spring-time associations. It is very curious that the 
sour little crab-apple, parent stock of all the hundreds 
of apple varieties, should surpass all fruit-trees in de- 
licious fragrance and rosy tint—a crabbed face, betray- 
ing byan unexpected gentle act, its kindly heart ; almost 
every community has its saintly crab-apple. 
The great attraction of a wood-ramble in early 
May, particularly in the southern part of our territory, 
is the abundant flowering dogwood, its rather uncouth 
figure suggestive of an apple-tree, but its luxuriant 
bloom, so massive and beautiful at a distance, not to be 
examined too minutely. It seems almost slovenly in 
nature to tip off so crudely the ends of the four petal- 
like bracts that pass by the name of ‘ flower,’’ and we 
are seldom so inclined to impugn her taste or good 
judgment; we botanists would certainly have managed 
the business differently. One quite forgets the tree after 
its spring beauty has departed—quite a usual circum- 
stance, however, in human nature—but in autumn it 
returns to favor with its brilliant crimson leaf and ber- 
ries. Early blossoms, showy autumn foliage, and late- 
hanging bunches of scarlet fruit give to the dogwood a 
more protracted period of ornamentation than is found 
in any other species. A red-blossomed variety, in cul- 
tivation and rarely found wild, is very effective when 
mingled with the white. Humbler members of the 
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