Chapter VII 



Trees and Shrubs and their Grouping, and 

 Plantations in General 



THE first requirerrient of a landscape is the 

 vigorous growth of all plants. The finest 

 forms of mountains and lakes, the brilliancy of the 

 sun and sky, combined with the naked rocks and 

 bare lakes, cannot replace meadows and the luxu- 

 riant growth of various forms of trees with their 

 diversified, pleasing green and rich foliage. For- 

 tunate the man to whom his forbears have be- 

 queathed lofty woods of old oaks, beeches, and 

 lindens, these proud giants of our Northern clime, 

 standing still untouched by the woodman's mur- 

 derous axe. He should never regard them without 

 veneration and delight, he should cherish them 

 as the apple of his eye, for neither money nor 

 power, neither a Croesus nor an Alexander, can re- 

 store an oak a thousand years old in its wonder- 

 ful majesty after the poor laborer has felled it. 

 TerrJ^ble and swift is the destructive power of 

 man, but poor and weak is his power to rebuild. 

 May an ancient tree be to you, kind reader, who 

 love Nature, a holy thing. And yet, here also, 

 the individual tree must be sacrificed, if need be, 

 to the general group. 



It may happen that a tree which, taken alone. 



