Art Out-of-Doors 
suit it in color. Here once more we want 
no sharp contrasts ; the tree itself is in sharp 
contrast with the general effect of the scene ; 
the planter’s care should be to mitigate 
rather than reinforce its emphasis. 
Once, in New England, I saw in a fine 
old country - place an avenue of purple 
beeches. They were the pride of the place, 
but the pride was a false one. How could 
a long double line of purple trees fail to 
disturb the restfulness and harmony which 
should characterize every landscape-picture ? 
Anything that is eccentric, in form or in 
color, should, I say again, be very sparingly 
as well as very carefully used. One purple 
beech may beautifully enliven a garden ; two 
or three, ho matter how set and surrounded, 
are pretty sure to hurt even a landscape 
of considerable extent. And as it is with 
this purple tree, so it is of course with the 
thousand and one purple and yellow and 
striped and spotted trees and shrubs of which 
we are so foolishly fond. A very few of 
them may increase general beauty of effect, 
but even this is by no means certain ; many 
of them are sure to be harmful ; and their 
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