6 



FLORA AND SYLVA. 



so that its outlines stand out against the 

 sky it will be seen to have a light and 

 airy effect in spite of its great size and 

 height. The blue sky is visible through 

 many an opening between its limbs, and 

 there is much pleasant flicker of light 

 and shade as the sun strikes on the lower 

 strata of foliage. The leaves move freely 

 on their slender foot-stalks, and are easi- 

 ly set in motion by the wind. They are 

 among the earliest of forest trees to bud, 

 nearly a fortnight earlier than the Oaks 

 of this neighbourhood, which are chiefly 

 Red, Black, and White Oaks. A Tulip 

 tree is a beautiful sight when its leaves 

 are small and tender green, but to see it 

 in its glory one must await its flowering- 

 time late in May. The flowers are soli- 

 tary and are produced in great abund- 

 ance and somewhat of the size and shape 

 of Tulips. They are shaded greenish- 

 yellow outside, brightest at the base. In- 

 side they are ringed and splotched with 

 soft yellow and orange. As they stand 

 erect on their stout foot-stalks they do 

 not show their bright markings when 

 seen from below. One would need wings 

 or a balloon to carry him above the tree 

 to obtain the'best view of all this beauty. 



The grove at Rose Brake contains 

 some very old Tulip trees, which, un- 

 fortunately, are slowly dying, and which 

 are, we suppose, relics of the primeval 

 forest. No one can tell their age, but it 

 is not probable that they were planted 

 by the hand of man. The largest of 

 these trees has a trunk circumference of 

 20 feet 4 inches, measured at the height 

 of 3 feet from the ground. It has some 

 small branches that feather down to the 

 ground so that it is an easy matter, in 



blooming time, to gather handfuls of its 

 beautiful flowers. These blossoms have 

 a peculiar fresh fragrance, not like the 

 perfume of any flower. It is not sweet, 

 and yet it is pleasant to a lover of the 

 tree. A second tree on low ground at 

 the foot of the Oak Grove here is 1 4 feet 

 in circumference of trunk, and is 100 

 feet in height. Its lowest branch forms a 

 junction with the trunk 20 feet from 

 the ground, but on the opposite side the 

 straight shaft rises in the air for fully 

 30 feet without interruption. The third 

 of the Rose Brake trees, which is 1 3 feet 

 5 inches in girth 3 feet from the ground, 

 was struck by lightning several years ago 

 in such a manner that a strip of bark 

 was peeled off the length of its trunk, 

 leaving a broad wound which disclosed 

 the white inner wood. It is dead at the 

 top, and cannot last much longer. The 

 fourth of these giant trees has a curved 

 trunk, caused, probably, by anothertree 

 falling across it when it was young. This 

 has obliged it to adopt a line of beauty 

 instead of the rectilinear lines of its sister 

 trees. It cannot be called a crooked tree, 

 as the curved line adds to its grace. At 

 the height of 2 5 feet from the ground 

 it has nearly righted itself, but has not 

 been able to resist a slight incline to the 

 north-east . The curving shaft is covered 

 with Virginia Creeper, and, with its great 

 size, it is a most imposing object, being 

 20 feet in circumference 3 feet from 

 the ground. In the Fall when the fo- 

 liage is all a soft, uniform shade of yel- 

 low, and the creeper has turned bright 

 red, running far up the trunk, and cloth- 

 ing some of the upper limbs with its 

 drapery, the old tree is a beautiful sight. 



