INTERMINGLING OF FORMS AND COLOURS. 107 



Ought masses of trees to be planted whoUy of one 

 speciesj or witli an admixture of many ? Tlie question 

 has been answered differently both in theory and in 

 practice. " A forest of aU manner of trees," says Mr. 

 Huskin, " is poor, if not disagreeable, in effect ; a mass 

 of one species of tree is subhme.'^ We are not ^ure 

 that this aphorism is not put too unconditionally, even 

 in regard to a forest ; certainly we should be inclined to 

 dispute its validity as applied to pleasure-grounds and 

 parks. Let the reader imagine a pleasm^e-gromid exclu- 

 sively filled with hoUies, or a park adorned with Scotch 

 firs alone. We are assured that the first feeling of the 

 spectator would as likely be that of wonder as of sub- 

 limity, that the second would be one of oppressive mono- 

 tony, and the third absolute weariness. Of course, this 

 remark does not apply to clumps and subordinate masses, 

 which may occasionally be planted of one species of tree. 

 We make this admission, however, with some reserve ; 

 for, while ia the park and pleasure-ground our aim 

 should be that unity which consists in a harmony of 

 diversities, we must guard against that bald and unsug- 

 gestive unity which degenerates into uniformity. Homo- 

 geneous masses of trees, it is to be remembered, are 

 destitute of that pleasing variety of colour of which there 

 are traces even in. spring and summer, and which, as 

 we have seen, comes out with such manifold beauty in 

 the autumnal tints. We hold that evergreens, even in 

 winter, are lightened and set ofi" by the contrast of the 

 deciduous trees with which they are intermingled, and 

 in summer the harmonizing effects of the mixture are 

 even more striking. We are disposed to think that in 

 the park and pleasure-ground the fir tribe should never 

 be planted alone and in separate clumps. We would 



