54 PLANTING. 



on every side where it has room ; if planted close, it will shoot up 

 straight to a considerable height, and is very grand. Its loose and 

 straggling effect is pleasing and picturesque. 



Fraxinus excelsior, or the common ash, is objectionable on arable 

 lands, as it extends its branches and roots widely, with very destruc- 

 tive properties ; its roots impoverish and exhaust the soil, and the 

 drip from its branches is pernicious to vegetation : it is also objec- 

 tionable as an ornamental tree ; although of handsome growth, its 

 leaves are always the latest in appearing, and they fall among the 

 earliest in the autumn. It may be introduced into plantations of 

 extensive parks and woods : it adapts itself to any soil, and its tim- 

 ber is always in demand. 



JEsculiis hippocastanum, or the common horse-chestnut, is distin- 

 guished for its grandeur and ornamental foliage, and, when in flower, 

 no tree possesses so much beauty; the extremities of its branches be- 

 ing terminated by fine spikes of flowers, so numerous that the tree 

 is covered with the most elegant bloom: the large digitate leaves have 

 a noble appearance, and the round full form of the head makes it 

 a desirable tree in plantations, especially as its growth is rapid ; and 

 it is a tree well adapted to be placed alone, although it is somewhat 

 formal. The timber is of little value. 



Juglans regia, or the common walnut, is a handsome as well as 

 a profitable tree, and may well be introduced for ornament : it 

 is a large and lofty tree, with strong spreading boughs, and of 



