ROUND-HEADED TREES. 



103 



Sect. III. — The Ornamental Character of Trees 

 IN Combination. 



The massing of plantations obscures to tlie eye the 

 peculiar forms of the trees which compose them, and 

 indeed modifies the actual forms to a great extent. It 

 is only when standing detached, or in thin groups, or 

 at most on the margins of plantations, that trees fully 

 develope their natural characters. In the depth of a 

 forest or thick wood they are usually so crowded to- 

 gether, and so drawn up towards the light, that their 

 foroas have little resemblance to the figm^es produced 

 by their free and unimpeded growth. Still there is a 

 distinct character in each ; for a mass of oaks has not 

 in any circumstances the same aspect as one of beeches 

 or elms, neither does a dense dark plantation of Scotch 

 firs present the spiry and serrated outliaes of a wood of 

 larch and spruce. There is, therefore, stiU abundant 

 character remaining even ia combined and crowded trees 

 to aUow scope for design, and to afford materials for 

 scenic beauty to one who has sufficient skill to seize 

 and employ it. In this part of our subject we shaU 

 content ourselves with adverting to what we have called 

 the round-headed and the pyramidal trees ; the other 

 two classes are so sparingly used, and planted so much 

 for the production of those particular effects which we 

 have already noticed, that we need not recur to them. 



Round-headed Trees. — Of these we may remark gene- 

 rally that they are to be employed when continuity of 

 outline in the clump and plantation is the object aimed 

 at. They mass more densely together than anyother trees, 



