286 



A COMPARISON OF THE 



of our hardy trees, both deciduous and evergreen. Many of them- 

 are most interesting, curious, and picturesque decoi-ations of small 

 lawns. They include every variety of outline, from the columnar 

 poplar, the slender junipers, and the majestic weeping willow, down 

 to the sorts that creep along the ground. The weeping junipers 

 and arbor-vitses {Thuja) are pensile only at the extremities of their 

 limbs ; the new pendulous firs (Abies excelsa pendula and Picea pec- 

 tinata pendula) are slenderly conical, but with branches drooping 

 directly and compactly downwards around a central stem. The 

 hemlock and Norway spruce firs belong partly to the class of 

 weeping trees on account of their pendant plumy spray, and the 

 droop of their branches as they grow old, although both are rigidly 

 conical trees in their general outlines. The weeping' white birches 

 have upright branches and pendulous spray when young, but as 

 they increase in size the larger branches bend with rambling grace 

 in harmony with their spray, and form picturesquely symmetrical 

 spreading trees ; while the weeping beech, assuming every uncouth 

 contortion when young, becomes a tree of noble proportions, mag- 

 nificently picturesque with age, trailing its slender crooked limbs, 

 covered with a drapery of dark glossy foliage from its summit tO' 

 the ground. See illustration under head of "The Beech." 



Fig. 76. ^ 



Picturesque Forms. — ihere are 



trees which cannot easily be classified — 



trees of straggling or eccentric growth, 



like the weeping elm, Fig. 76, the honey 



locust, Fig. 77, and the weeping 



beech. Fig. 104; diffuse and rambling 



trees like young scarlet oaks, old 



larches and pines, and most of the 



birch family. These highly picturesque 



forms are exceptional among park-grown trees, 



and are charming because they are exceptional. 



Some of the preceding illustrations show how 



trees may at the same time be symmetrical and 



picturesque ; and we ask the reader to observe how much more 



interesting a tree is which combines both beauties than the 



