The Portland daily press., 1865-09-23

Improved IN their arboEtal ornaments, BY cat
ting out ill-shaped or too fhickly clustered
trees. They injure the forms of neighboring
trees which otherwise would become more'
beautiful. None should be allowed % stanu
but those of handsome shape land as we nave
said, care should be taken from their infancy
to allow each one ample space both Oh sou anu
air on every side. One bad looking Tree on
row with others mars the. beauty OF the en-
tire row, as one defect in any work OF nature
or of art attracts more attention than the
rest and creates perpetual disgust. Give US
BEAUTY in rural ornament, rgive us nothing
having its pretenee.
Many people err in the selection Of forest
trees. They go into the woods, and when
they find tail, straight sugar maple, elm, ash
or linden, they dig it up and carry it home for
! transportation by itself in open grounds
The tree IS Straight because it has grown up
in the shade of other and taller trees; but
when carried to different location, the air
and sun circulating freely around its naked
trunk, it experiences shock that is sometimes
fatal to it. Insuch position it cannot main
tain its elongated and straight attitude; the
winds bend and wrench it. and new shoots pre-
paratory TO lateral branches put out from the.
sides Of the trunk. It requires long time
before tits able to exchange its forest shape
for an open air enc.
Never go into a thicket for trees to plant
out in cleared lands. Ratherlse those that
grow on the outskirts Of forests, or in pastures,
where they were born and reared in the
strengthening air and light; and If you are
then careful to select only such as are OF beau
tiful forms, they win retain that shape, with
out trouble, as long as they live.
8 Another very unfortunate but common err
ror is to decapitate the young tree before it is
transplanted. The head is cut off in order to
compel the trunk to throw out new and
more branching top. A tree can do but little
better than an animal can, without its head.
It needs that above any other of its parts.
The side branches will bear liberal pruning
but we beg you never to cut off that point which
looks heayenward. Leave that unmutilated,
and it will, in due time, give out its natural
desires according to the demands of the tree
spirit that is within it. -5s
Many years ago, great numbers of sugar ma
pies were set out in one OF the rural cities of
our States. But to make handsome trees of
them, every tree was decapitated. 1t lived,
indeed, and put forth lateral branches; for.
years it grew and looked well; but as it be-
came old, the weight of the top split the
trunk at the intersection of the upper limbs,
and deformity and death followed. That city
has lost most OF its once beautiful shades
from this cause. We repeat-never cut the
head off Of tree. Give that its liberty to
point to the skies. The rest of the tree, unless
very hardly used, win take care of its own
growth.
3 The sugar maple is a handsome, sweet and
clearly tree. America produces not its supe-
rior. We cannot have too many of such trees
for use or ornament. A few on ones premis-
es, in yards or by roadsides, win afford re-
spectacle stock of richest syrup or most tooth
some sugar. The elm is often magnificent
tree, but unfortunately it is not clearly like
the sugar maple. The poplar, (aspen,) and
balm-of- Gilead are foul things. They breed
insects which defile the wholeIpremise1. Some
elms are much handsomer than others. The
weeping elms are nearly as handsome as the
weeping willows, and in this latitude are more
suitable for cemeteries than those. Weeping
willows are short lived in our. climate Elms
will wave over the heads of many generations.
Weeping elms may be found in most Of our
forests; but your stitf, upright bristly ems, are
anything but handsome. In England, passing
up the Thames, have noticed the tops of
elms trimmed to all fantastic tastes, some hay
ing the shape of q crucifx, some of an UNI
brella, and some even Of horses and other am
imals. - No NJ
As ornamental trees, the horse-chestnut,
(Buckeye,) the English cherry, the white ASH
the English and even American linden (bass-
wood,l the maple, the pine, fir, arbor vita,
larch, &c, are handsome enough for any coun-
try, and they are, most Of them, healthy, be-
cause indigenous, and cleanly trees. We need
not go to Europe or the East Indies for hand
some trees; our own forests afford such as the
people of any other country would prefer to
their own. 81 sN ~ TEAxI.
m. n K,5sto. ~. Io-.ao.