The Ailantus is a picturesque tree, well adapted to produce a good effect on the lawn, either singly or grouped; as its fine long foliage catches the light well, and contrasts strikingly with that of the round-leaved trees. It has a troublesome habit of producing suckers, however, which must exclude it from every place but a heavy sward, where the surface of the ground is never stirred by cultivation. The branches of this tree are entirely destitute of the small spray so common on most forest trees, and have a singularly naked look in winter, well calculated to fix the attention of the spectator at that dreary season. The largest Ailantus trees in America are growing in Rhode Island, where it was introduced from China, under the name of the Tillou tree. It has since been rapidly propagated by suckers, and is now one of the commonest ornamental trees sold in the nurseries. The finest trees, however, are those raised from seed.
