- LARCHES AND THEIR UTILITY 133 
within a very Helen of Troy, and attraction of rival 
affections, in the person of ‘‘ Maud, with her exquisite 
face.” 
Perky, we take it, means trim, smart, or saucy, a 
compliment that is more usually applied to certain 
types of human life, usually engaged in the more 
coquettish avocations of life, which we will leave to 
the reader’s imagination to supply their own ideas 
of, and designations for. The adjective well denotes, 
however, the neat shapeliness of the tree. 
If the Larch, then, as a word of construction hardly 
accorded to a poet’s idea of that flow and sound 
which their craft crave after to ornament their 
versification and attune their lyrics, and on that 
account was left somewhat severely alone by them, 
we too, but for other reasons, will follow suit, and in 
consideration of its prior claim to native worth on 
more worldly grounds, waive further apostrophe. 
But in so doing let there not be attributed to us any 
base slander that we fail in appreciation of its 
natural and especial spring beauty. 
All these points can be fairly put forward on its 
behalf, and in some explanation, or in extenuation 
if required, of its numerical preponderance in our 
more lately planted areas to-day: 
(1) Upon no tree in existence has more money 
been spent in planting. 
(2) Upon no tree in existence has so much money 
been expended by nurserymen and culti- 
vators. 
(3) Upon no tree has the money of all the trading 
fraternities of timber buyers and timber 
sellers been so freely circulated. 
(4) Upon no tree have so many. uses on estates 
and various other works depended. 
It may be that its origin as a name comes from 
