A Word for the Axe 



against possible contingencies, not only^of 

 life and death, but of pecuharity in devel- 

 opment. A planter can hardly imagine in 

 detail the group he wants, and then plant 

 for that group and for nothing else. The 

 best he can do is to decide upon the general 

 size and character of his group ; plant in 

 such a way that the probabihty of getting 

 something near to it in effect will be in- 

 sured : and then watch his plantation and 

 thin it out in accordance, on the one hand, 

 with his own wishes, and, on the other 

 hand, with the idiosyncrasies of his devel- 

 oping trees. 



Of course, such a process as this needs 

 care and thought and taste. But it is just 

 this fact that I want to impress upon my 

 readers — the fact that only by the exercise 

 of care and thought and taste, not merely 

 in the act of planting but continually after- 

 ward, can beautiful results be achieved in 

 any branch of gardening art. When a 

 plantation has been made, then the real 

 work of creating it has but just begun ; this 

 work must be prolonged for many years to 

 preserve the beauty of the trees as individ- 



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