The true character of American trees is rarely known, because in early life they have been crowded by others, and it is only when by the help of man a specimen here and there finds itself for a number of years alone, that we get to see its exact development. It is very rare to find a low-spreading buttonwood tree, because in early life they have lost their lower branches. We give herewith one of the best specimens we have seen. It is growing on the estate of Mr. George W. Childs, at his country seat, "Wootton," near Philadelphia. It is 80 feet in height, and is 10 feet in circumference 4 feet from the ground. The lower side branches extend 43 feet from the trunk, so that the head has a spread of 86 feet.

Platanus occidentalis - American Plane or Buttonwood Tree.

The English plane, Platanus orientalis, has a rather more regularly spreading character than the American, Platanus occidentalis; and is free from the peculiar mildew which so often destroys the young shoot as it pushes from the bud, and, by reason of the second growth renders the tree often knotty and unsightly. This tree has apparently escaped this pest, and it is on this account that we have been tempted to give it as a rare illustration of a common tree.