1664

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM

PART III,

1522

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miles from the metropolis; six or eight poplars, taller than the house, oftenobstructing its view, and overpowering and diminishing it by their magnitudeand stiffness ; while a few low trees, such as thorns and laburnums, mixedwith lilacs and other shrubs, would have formed subordinate groups an dmasses to the house, and served to increase its effect in the landscape. Thispoplar, or some equally fastigiate tree, should appear in all plantations andbelts that are made with a view to picturesque effect; as in Jig. 1523., where

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the outline is varied as well as the face of the plantation. Masses of round-headed trees, such as Jig. 1524., though they might be seen to advantage insome situations, when grouping with other objects, yet, when contemplated bythemselves, are quite uninteresting,from their dull and monotonous appearance;but add the poplars, as in Jig. 1524 a., and you immediately create an interest,and give a certain character to the group, which it did not before possess.The causes are these: — The poplars, which are taller than the other trees, areso distributed as to break the mass into several groups, each terminating in apoint; and the central group, being larger than the others, predominates overthem, and forms the mass into a whole. The pointed heads of the Lombardy

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poplars also form a pleasing contrast to the round heads of the other tree >and break the too uniform line exhibited in the sky outline of Jig- 152*.branches of the poplars, rising stiffly upwards, contrast with, and render ta