DECIDUOUS ORNAMENTAL TREES. 
121 
though pleasing singly, are monotonous to the last degree 
when planted in quantities. Not so, however, with the 
oak, as there is no tree, when forming a wood entirely by 
itself, which affords so great a variety of form and dispo* 
sition, light and shade, symmetry and irregularity, as this 
king of the forests. 
To arrive at its highest perfection, ample space on every 
side must be allowed the oak. A free exposure to the sun 
and air, and a deep mellow soil, are highly necessary to its 
fullest amplitude. For this reason, the oaks of our forests, 
being thickly crowded, are seldom of extraordinary size ; 
and there are more truly majestic oaks in the parks of 
England than are to be found in the whole cultivated por- 
tion of the United States. Here and there, however, 
throughout our c Duntry may be seen a solitary oak of great 
