But in the great Sala dell' Asse (or della Torre) abundant traces of Leonardo's own hand were found, in the shape of a decoration of intricate geometrical knot or plait work .combined with natural leafage; the abstract puzzle-pattern, of a kind in which Leonardo took peculiar pleasure, intermingling in cunning play and contrast with a pattern of living boughs and leaves exquisitely drawn in free and vital growth.
To check them, " grease-banding " round the trees has been adopted; but as many other pests eat the leafage, it is best to kill all at once by spraying with arsenical poisons.
Its great value to the English forester is as a "nurse" for other trees, for which its dense leafage and tapering form render it admirably fitted, as it protects, without overshading, the young saplings, and yields saleable stakes and small poles when cut out.
The new kind has bold leafage, a glaucous tinge overlying the deep green body color; the flowers, of a rich apricot color, open out widely, and are of great substance.