The Beauty of Trees 



taller, narrower shape, or a hemlock, sweeping 

 the grass with its branches. It is the same 

 when trees are set in masses; little thought 

 is given to the way in which their forms will 

 contrast one with the other, and a distressing 

 confusion results where pendulous birches, 

 spiry-topped spruces, round and solid horse- 

 chestnuts, and straggling silver-maples work 

 in concord only in the sense that each 

 prevents the others from appearing well, 

 and helps to deprive the plantation as a 

 whole of unity, grace, and effective expres- 

 sion. 



But even when facts of outline are borne 

 in mind, facts of structure are constantly 

 forgotten. Yet these are of particular im- 

 portance when a tree is placed in isolation. 

 Almost any kind of contour is agreeable in 

 an isolated tree, but in certain situations it 

 makes a vast difference whether the eye rests 

 upon an almost unbroken surface, like that 

 presented by the horse-chestnut until it has 

 reached a great age, or upon a surface which 

 an artist would call boldly and effectively 

 modelled — a surface diversified by those al- 

 ternations of light and shadow which give 



247 



