Ornamental and Shade Trees 



^ Dcpartnirnt for the .Idiicc and Instruction of Monhcrs of the American Forestry .Issoeiation 



EniTED r.v J. J. Levisox. B. A., M. F. 

 Arboric ultnrist Brooklyn Park Department. Jnthor of '\Stiidies of Trees," and Lecturer on Ornamental and 



Shade Trees, Vale L'ni'eersity Forest School 



How to Plant a Shade Tree 



and 



How to Care for It the First Few Years 



T11I'',RE has been considerable goud literature pub- 

 lished in recent years on the planting of shade 

 trees. It is timely to quote some of this from 

 the following tree sources which will cover the most im- 

 portant points of the ()uestion. 



The office of the Commissioner of Forestr\- of the 





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A<i)F 



Di<:3g/''3m- Of Tree 

 P=Tree. P/t 6'x5x2^z c/ppp 



= Prun/n^ \for 7ra/7Sp/<3rz//ng' 



Stale of Rhode Island publishes the following on "ilow 

 to 1 'lant Shade Trees" : 



"Many trees are destined before planting to an earl}- 

 death through lack of precautions in their digging and 

 tiansit. Removing a tree from its original site and plant- 



9'>2 



ing it in a new place is a surgical operati(jn requiring a 

 knowledge of plant physiology. To grub out trees and 

 plant them in small dry holes invites wholesale failure. 

 Of a lot of vigorous trees suitably planted, nearly every 

 one should live and thrive. 



"In digging trees care is required to preserve a large 

 nmnlier of the tender root-tips and fine rootlets which 

 su]iply the water and mineral food. A small tree — an 

 inch or two in diameter — growing near the place of 

 transplanting, may be lifted with a ball of earth in which 

 the root system is imbedded, wrajiped in burlap, and 

 carried to the pit prepared fur it. To secure shade 

 without loss of time, trees six or more inches in diameter 

 are sometimes transplanted with full ball of earth — an 

 expensive c.iperation requiring special appliances. Trees 

 sent out by nurseries are usually lifted without balls of 

 earth and skilfully packed for long-distance shipment. 

 L'pon. arri\al from the nursery, unpack the trees and set 

 them in small trenches in a shady place, covering the roots 

 w ith moist earth. Trees drv and hot when received are 

 not likely to li\e. but some species will stand more mal- 

 treatment than I ithers. Wild seedlings from the field and 

 woods may be used, lint nurserv stock is preferred. When 

 ready to begin work, remove the trees from the trenches, 

 cover the roots with moist straw or burlap and carry them 

 to the tree-pits and plant. At no time must the roots 

 Ijc much e.\|)osed to the sun anfl wind. 



"The cnst of planting varies with the size of tree, soil 

 and site. The r>eac(jn Street planting in Boston recently 

 done successfully under the direction of a landscape 

 architect, cost $.'J0 a tree. This work involved the jilant- 

 ing of l"iO European lindens, 'IVi inches in diameter, a 

 system of sub-irrigation bv means of Akron pipes laid 

 with open joints among the roots, the digging of tree- 

 [lits 1"^ feet long, 4J,4 feet wide and 3 feet deep, the re- 

 moval (if tlie excavated material, the filling of each pit 

 with 1 cubic yards of rich loam, relaving the sidewalk, 

 tree guards, and maintenance for two \ears. In countrv 

 and suburban districts and in fa\orabIe cit\' locations, 

 the cost would be much less than the above named figure. 



"Street trees are usually spaced 30 to 50 feet, according 

 to spiecies; 40 feet is a good distance; large trees like oak, 

 elm, sycamore, and black w.ilnnt re(|nirc wide spacing — 



