Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1874-04-03
For the Bellows Falls Times.
Shade Trees.

to the pleasantoess and comfort OF on
homes, as by the judicious use of shad
trees. Once set, nature will keep ther
in repair; adding some new beauty G
form, and repainting them every yea
with her choicest colors.
On the north side of buildings, 4
break the wind. evergreens are to be pre-
ferred !; aud of these the hemlock is tn,
best. For ordinary shading, the rock
maple and the elm are generally pre-
fsrred. When there is ample room fol
them to grow to their full size, they are
undoubtedly entitled to the rank they
hold, but otherwise there are serious OBJ
jections to them. Growing freely in the
open land, the branches start low, and
ran so nearly horizontally, thatthey soon
interfere with buildings when set near
them; then, to preserve the buildings,
the limbs are cut off, leaving wound
that never heals, the wood dies and de-
Gays, and in few years the tree is de.
stroyed. Illustrations of this are found
almost everywhere, where these trees
were set Few years ago. Almost uni
versally in shading streets and parks,
the trees are set 30 near together that il
becomes necessary to trim them up, till
their symmetry and beauty is entirely
destroyed. If they had been set at
proper distances apart, they would have
been objects of increasing beauty for
ages, to gladden. the heart of every be-
holder.
The limbs of these trees grow SO large
that they constantly endauger buildings
when they stand near enough to fall up
on them.
Another objection to them, and especi-
ally to the maple, is, they are so much
affected by borers after being destroyed
or made unsightly by their ravages, the
maple, when growing in the open land,
is frequently injured by the starting of
the bark on the sunny side.
1t is no bad plan to combine profit
with beauty aud comfort, and shade our
grounds with fruit trees. The apple is
we'll adapted to this, being rapid grow
err, hardy, and always beautiful in its
rugged irregularity of trunk and limb,
its soft green leaves. its exquisitely deli.
cate and fragrant flowers, and its abun-
dant and luscious fruit
Bot of all our trees, no other combines
SO many of the requisites for ornamental
purposes, as the white birch especially
to stand near buildings. It grows very
rapidly, is hardy, seldom affected by
borers and fourishes on almost every
soil. The trunk is picturesque in its ir-
regularity, throwing off numerous small
branches, which divide and subdivide
into minute flexible sprays, that sway in
the breeze with infnite grace. The pear
ly white of the bark on the trunk and
larger branches, passing, by insensible
gradations, through various shades of
brown, into the deep, living purple of
the remotest twigs, is beauty peculiar
to this tree. 1t is one of the earliest
trees to put forth its leaves, and one of
the latest to drop them they are hand
some in form, and exquisite in color
and, when touched by the autumnal
frosts, their dying hues of FURNISHED
gold are no less beautiful than the royal
crimson of the imperial maple. Its
swelling buds herald the approach of
spring, long before the maple and elm
have scented its coming. In the rigor-
GUS depths of winter it commences TO
hang out its pendulous flower buds, ready
to unfold their modest blossoms in the
first warp, breath of spring. The minute
subdivision of its branches secures
dense shade, even from small top, and
gives such fexibility that they are rarely
broken by wind, snow or ice, and make
them 80 light that they will do no dam
age if they do fall on buildings or fences
When maple or elm is cut down, all
that remains is an unsightly stump, but
when birch is cut down it will send up
cluster of sprouts that, in few years.
will form a clump of trees more beauti.
full, if possible, than the original trunk.
All that has been said of the white
birch will apply to the yellow as we'll,
by substituting amber for white in the
color of the bark An intermixture Of
these, with an occasional evergreen in
terspersed, would make one of the mos,
charming combinations of which GU,
forest trees are capable.
Whatever trees are chosen, avoid such
as divide into two nearly equal branches
for they viii be very likely to split down
Choose trees whose branches are numer
Gus and small. Set them so far apar
that they may attain large growth with
out interfering with each other. Do no
crowd them around house so as to sbu
out the sunlight, for every ray of ligh
that enters room is burdened with