SELECTION 147 



posed, they are never unsightly; and, enduring as 

 long as the trees themselves, they will in the end 

 repay that first outlay which makes them, for some 

 time, an expensive luxury. 



The height and thickness of these single rods 

 will be determined by the position to be occupied, 

 from 5 to 8 feet above the ground being the most 

 common altitudes, and the circumference varying 

 from to 3 inches. Below the surface, their tripod 

 prongs must be deeply and securely fixed from 

 I foot to 18 inches in the soil, so as to bear any 

 weight of flowers and foliage, and defy all the 

 royal artillery of ^Eolus. For arches, the rods may 

 be 7 or 8 feet from the ground, and 8 or 9 feet 

 apart. 



The ground and supports being prepared, a 

 selection may be made from the list subjoined of 

 varieties, vigorous and beautiful (as the recruiting- 

 sergeant picks out for the Guards the more robust 

 examples of humanity) ; and these, whether on 

 their own roots or worked upon Brier or Manetti 

 stocks, according to their habit and the character 

 of the soil, should be planted in November, and 

 safely tied to their rods. Tarred twine is the best 

 material for the latter purpose, being cheap, durable, 

 and to be had in difi*erent thicknesses, according 

 to the strength required. Prune closely in the 



