92 State Horticultural Society. 



open fire of hickory or maple wood in midwinter; one will gladly walk 

 a square farther to enjoy the former rather than to endure the fierce 

 blaze of the sun when tlie range of temperature is from 90 to 100 degrees 

 even in the shade. 



The choice of trees for the purpose under consideration does not 

 include all the species and varieties that may be seen in the park or on 

 the extensive lawn. It is limited to those of proved adaptation on ac- 

 count of hardiness under — in some cases — unusual and unfavorable con- 

 ditions, and because of certain characters of form, foliage and flowers. 

 These qualities do not always receive due consideration. The variety 

 of tree generally planted is apt to be the one most readily obtainable. 

 For instance, in our little city of Kirkwood about thirty years ago Mr. 

 John Hofifman. a public spirited citizen of ample means, bought what 

 nursery men call "a block of elms," of a European variety. Some of 

 these he planted himself along certain streets. Others he sold or do- 

 nated to friends to be used in the same way ; hence, Kirkwood became, 

 like New Haven on a smaller scale, a "city of elms." Some of these 

 trees still live in good form and vigor, but a large proportion succumbed 

 to the drought of three years ago. The elms of which New Haven, 

 Connecticut, boasts are so tall and spreading that their branches inter- 

 lock over the drives and the same is true of those of Kirkwood, although 

 those surviving are probably scarcely one-third the age of the Eastern 

 trees. 



Experience has proved that the elms, especially our native species 

 (Ulmus americania and rubra) are among the best for shading both 

 city streets and country roads. Rockford, Illinois, has been called the 

 "Forest City," because the streets are so lined with trees that the city 

 seems actually to stand in a forest. Here the varieties of maples pre- 

 dominate. The Norway maples have far overshadowed all other kinds 

 and seem peculiarly well adapted to the soil and climate. Before some 

 of the residences the Norway and the black maple or box elder {Negundo 

 aceroides) stand side by side, the former more formal and symmetrical, 

 the latter more graceful ; the one a very dark green, the other almost 

 yellowish, presenting a beautiful contrast. Our friend, Willard P. Flagg, 

 a well known authority on trees, singled out the box elder as his especial 

 favorite. It yields to training, but needs a careful pruner. 



The sugar maple has always been a highly prized street and road- 

 side tree. So much admired is it in Kirkwood that very few of the 

 more extensive residence lots are without one or more specimens, and a 

 wealthy resident recently paid an extravagant price for the removal of 

 a half dozen larsre trees from some obscure position to the front of her 

 residence. This species, like the Norway, is of rather slow growth. 



