THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM 



of great and steadily growing importance. The 

 library has thirty-one thousand bound volumes 

 and eight thousand pamphlets, including "all the 

 books in all languages, relating in any way to 

 trees, their uses and cultivation." 



Two beauties of the arboretum not always dwelt 

 upon in print are the beautiful use of grass and 

 the beautiful arrangement of backgrounds. The 

 beauty of grass is emphasized in the arboretum. 

 Grass walks are delightfully introduced. Trees 

 and shrubs stand out against a smooth turf back- 

 ground, and nowhere is turf better employed to 

 give a sense of order than between the long beds 

 where shrubs from all parts of the world are found. 

 For a thing to look at always, there is nothing so 

 beautiful as grass in spring, in its fresh greenness; 

 in summer, with its inviting coolness of color; in 

 autumn with its reminiscent green; and in winter, 

 in time of melting snows, grass gives a delight 

 which is a hope as well. It is a marvellous floor 

 for shadow and for sunlight — an incomparable 

 background for the play of foliage; and, beyond 

 all, a reach of fine greensward carries always to 

 the mind the suggestion of finish, ease, tranquil- 

 lity. 



And while we speak of backgrounds, how won- 



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