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168 A SELECTION OF THE BEST TREES. : 



At first sight there seems little reason why the somewhat j 



despised and. roughly treated Robinia^ or Acacia, as it is | 



sometimes called, should come in after such stately and \ 



noble trees as the Plane and the Chestnut ; but, taking the ] 

 varieties as well as the original tree into consideration, I 



have no hesitation in giving it this rank, knowing it to be ■ 



as well adapted for the smallest town garden as for the \ 



largest public park. Naturally it is not such a strong- ; 



growing tree as the Lime_, while it may be cut in to keep it ; 



neater than it usually grows. j 



To many lines of suburban houses a thin line of trees is ^ 



a great improvement, and forms the only species of garden ( 

 embellishment of which they are capable. The qualities 

 necessary in such trees are perfect hardiness, healthy con- 

 stitution, and size and habits suited to the positions for which 



we require them. I know of no tree that combines these ; 

 better than the spineless round-headed variety of the 

 Robinia (R. inermis), and it is a very elegant object all 



through the season. It is, to be sure, somewhat dearer i 



than the Lime and such trees; but the difference in 1 

 appearance is such that nobody would refuse the difference 

 in money, even for the improved appearance of the trees 



during a single year. It is usually grafted on straight ,' 



stems, six feet to eight feet high, which support the " 



umbrella-like heads and their mass of graceful, healthy j 



green leaves. With a little cutting in now and then, they | 

 never become an inch too high. 



Perhaps the most beautiful and appropriate city trees 

 I have ever seen are those formed by the round-headed 



Robinias in the cities of Northern Italy ; their grace, dense I 



and grateful shade, and deep verdure being perfect. I ^ 



measured several thirty feet in diameter of head, and with j 



a bole a foot or more through, the heads being picturesque ! 



and somewhat irregular from age, while preserving their j 



compactness and valuable shading properties. It would be i 



impossible to find a greater advance upon the hideous lines ] 



of clipped Limes so common in France than is presented i 



by these trees at Novara and other cities and towns in • 



North Italy. But as we have no proof that as good a i 



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