ORNAMENTAL SHADE TREES AND THEIR CARE 



415 



distances and occasional!}- pruned, or the use of Syca- 

 more, which will stand a lot of pruning. 



Several trees, otherwise very attractive, are often a 

 nuisance along streets because they litter the walks and 

 pavements with bloom or fruit, send up suckers, or at- 

 tract insects. The Silver Maple has a bad and well-de- 

 served reputation for breaking up pavements and walks. 

 The Honey Locust litters the pavement with slippery 

 pods, and the fruit of the Mulberry and Shadtree are 

 objectionable for the 

 same reason. The 

 fruit and foliage of the 

 Horsechestnut cause 

 quite a litter, and 

 often the foliage is 

 diseased in summer, 

 causing it to turn 

 brown and fall prema- 

 turely. With proper 

 care, such a condition 

 may be obviated and 

 the litter of the fruit 

 tolerated for the sake 

 of the beauty of the 

 flowers, foliage, and 

 shape of the crown, 

 since few trees sur- 

 pass the Horsechest- 

 nut in these respects. 



To obtain beauty 

 in street planting 

 there must be har- 

 m o n y between the 

 trees and their sur- 

 roundings. This is 

 best obtained b y 

 using, as far as possi- 

 ble, trees of one kind 

 upon a single street or 

 block, and trees of a 

 character that are best 

 adapted to the width 

 of the street and other 

 conditions. Since the 

 city street is not the 

 native home of the 

 trees, we cannot ex- 

 pect absolute perfec- 

 tion, but, excluding 

 evergreens, it is possible to select and plant those trees 

 most suitable for the conditions presented. 



For wide avenues or boulevards, there is probably 

 no one tree that is so satisfactory both as to size and 

 beauty as the American Elm. On wide avenues or boule- 

 vards with a central parkway, two rows of elms may often 

 be used, and flanking them on either side and planted on 

 the curbing a very good effect can be obtained by rows 

 of Sycamore, Norway Maple. Pin Oak, Green Ash, or 

 Basswood, if the houses are comparatively close to the 

 street. If the houses are well back from the street. 



Courtesy of N. Y. Slate Conservation Commission. 



LOMBARDY POPLAR.' ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

 Entirely too stiff and formal, and not at all .suitable for street tree planting, save per- 

 haps under most unusual conditions. 



larger growing trees ma}' be used, such as Red Oak, 

 Scarlet Oak, Sugar Maple, Tulip Poplar, in addition to 

 the row or rows of elms in the central parkway. 



For avenues without parkways, but with broad curb- 

 ing and at least 100 feet between the building lines, there 

 is a wide range of appropriate trees, leading ofif, of course, 

 with the Elm, Sugar Maple, White Oak, Red Oak, Tulip 

 Poplar, Scarlet Oak, Red Gum, American Basswood, Cu- 

 cumber-tree, and others. 



For the ordinary 

 street, which is 70 to 

 90 feet wide between 

 the building lines, 

 trees which do not at- 

 tain the largest and 

 most majestic growth 

 of crown are most 

 beautiful. For such 

 streets there is no 

 more appropriate tree 

 than the Norway Ma- 

 ple, although circum- 

 stances and taste may 

 with equal propriety 

 dictate one of the fol- 

 lowing: Sycamore, 

 Sycamore Maple, 

 Basswood, White 

 Ash, Ginkgo, Horse- 

 chestnut, Red Gum, 

 Pin Oak. Red Maple, 

 Honey Locust, or 

 Hackberry. 



For narrow streets, 

 70 feet or less between 

 the building lines, the 

 nmnber of suitable 

 trees is very limited, 

 and even some of 

 them will require 

 skilful p r u n i n g as 

 they attain their 

 growth to keep them 

 in harmony with their 

 surroundings. The 

 best trees for this 

 class of street are the 

 European Linden, 

 Red Maple, Green 

 Ash, Hackberry, Japanese Maple, Ginkgo, Red Bud, 

 and Shadtree. The use of Norway Maple and Syca- 

 more on narrow streets is ver}- often productive of 

 good results where they are kept trimmed. 



The above paragraphs contain scarcely any mention 

 of several trees common on city streets. For one reason 

 or another they should not be used where it is possible 

 t(i use one of the trees which experience has shown to 

 be the best. Beech is not desirable because of its dense 

 -hade and slow growth. The Chestnut is susceptible to 

 the chestnut blight disease, for which no control has 



