Trees, Shrubs and Vines 



the fine tracery of twigs, flushed with the green of the 

 opening leaf- buds. The grace of such flowering is longer 

 remembered than many a more pretentious bloom. 



Elms. — There is no tree that holds a prouder posi- 

 tion than does our favorite white elm, a distinctively 

 American growth, whose figure is at once unique, grace- 

 ful, and imposing. Elm and maple will always monopo- 

 lize the function of shade- trees in this country; yet 

 their types are so different that they can never be 

 rivals. The elm is built on too large a scale to be 

 desirable where maples are suitable. Its wide-spreading 

 top must have ample room, and the breadth of the arch 

 must be in better proportion to its height than is possi- 

 ble in streets of ordinary width. In its younger days it 

 is manifestly inferior to a maple for shade purposes; but, 

 like some people, it was created for a great occasion, 

 and when after a century it has attained full amplitude, 

 a venerable elm is the noblest type of graceful and 

 courtly grandeur to be found in the arboreal kingdom. 

 It is in the wide thoroughfares of old New England 

 towns that it is seen in perfection, where every other 

 growth, native or foreign, dwindles beside its towering, 

 massive figure. You would ransack Europe and Asia in 

 vain to find a tree that could fill the requirements of 

 Central Park, where the Mall is superbly bordered by 

 double rows of native elms. 



An entirely different type is found in the famous 

 English elm, of which the Park affords many fine exam- 

 ples. Lofty, of wide-spreading habit, and with some 

 of the oak's angularity, it is worthy of its repute as one 



68 



