132 
LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
avenues, along the highways in France and Germany, grow- 
ing with great rapidity, and soon forming a widely extended 
shade. In Europe, the elm is much used for keels in ship- 
building, and is remarkably durable in water ; more exten- 
sive use is made of it there than of the American kinds in 
this country, though the wood of the Red American elm is 
more valuable than any other in the United States for the 
blocks used in ship rigging. 
For its graceful beauty, the elm is entitled to high regard. 
Standing alone as a single tree, or in a group of at most three 
or four in number, it developes itself in all its perfection. 
The White American elm we consider the most beautiful of 
the family, and to this we more particularly allude. In 
such situations as we have just mentioned, this tree de- 
velopes its fine ample form in the most picturesque manner. 
Its branches first spring up, embracing the centre, then bend 
off in finely diverging lines, until, in old trees, they often 
sweep the ground with their loose pendant foliage. With 
all this lightness and peculiar gracefulness of form, it is by 
no means a meagre looking tree in the body of its foliage, as 
its thick tufted masses of leaves reflect the sun, and em- 
bosom the shadows as finely as almost any other tree, the 
oak excepted. We consider it peculiarly adapted for plant- 
ing, in scenes where the expression of elegant or classical 
beauty is desired. In autumn the foliage assumes a lively 
yellow tint, contrasting well with the richer and more glow- 
ing colours of our native woods. Even in winter it is a 
pleasing object, from the minute division of its spray, and 
the graceful droop of its branches. It is one of the most 
generally esteemed of our native trees for ornamental pur- 
poses, and is as great a favourite here as in Europe, for 
planting in public squares, and along the highways. Beau- 
