Trees, Shrubs and Vines 



three or four of which on the south bank of the " Pond" 

 form one of the most impressive views in the Park, and 

 there are no trees throughout the grounds more likely to 

 attract the attention of a passer-by. Another cluster 

 is on the " West Drive," near the soldiers' monument. 

 Better than mere size is their picturesque appearance. 

 It is as restful to watch those giant forms as to pause by 

 a babbling brook, for a breath of air puts the million 

 leaves a-quivering, and a moderate breeze instantly fills 

 them with a wild thrill of tumultuous silence. Though 

 such massive figures demand a long vista, younger 

 growths are in much favor for the lawn ; and their 

 rapid development, vigorous, glossy foliage, and not too 

 spreading form have induced their planting along many 

 of the streets in New York City. 



In leaf-type, quivering foliage — effected by ^ flattened 

 instead of the usual round leaf-stem, by which it is so 

 weakened that the leaf is easily twisted by the wind — 

 and appearance of bark, our two aspens, common and 

 large-toothed, show themselves allied to the poplars. 

 With no objectionable aspects they are not sufficiently 

 admired for cultivation, the poor little common aspen 

 being hardly represented in the Park, and with not a sin- 

 gle specimen of the " large-toothed " {grandidenta) ; so 

 that one finds them mostly in thin woods and along the 

 roadside, spruce little trees, that leave you asking 

 whether favor, as in the human kind, does not go by 

 luck as much as by merit. Their smooth yellowish- 

 gray bark is characteristic, and much prettier than that 

 of most small trees, and the " large-toothed " presents 

 a singular appearance in early spring, when its small 



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