68 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



thorns, dogwoods, Virginia creepers, grape vines, and a mixed lot of 

 native trees and shrubs. Of course, they should not remain so thickly as 

 in the highway referred to, but choice selections could be placed or left 

 in certain suitable spots. To a considerable extent, the same general 

 rule would apply to planting of roadsides in the country and streets in 

 the village. But no! The owner must do as others have done, cut away 

 all of these things, seed to grass, and plant maples thirty feet apart, 

 •just one foot or ten feet from the fence. Along the road al30ve referred 

 to, I recently sold an acre apiece to two Germans, and made the request, 

 which they seemed to assent to, that I might suggest some of the wild 

 shrubbery that should be left. They built houses and began improve- 

 ments (?) by cutting out all wild shrubs and trees, leaving only a few 

 trees which they trimmed up from the ground. Still further west, on the 

 road under consideration, a pathmaster has several times cut all of the 

 young trees and shrubbery, excepting a few nearly in line by the fence. 

 He even cut down some of the largest and finest trees, a foot or more in 

 diameter, because they were not near enough to the line to suit him. 



In planting trees for streets, I should first seek a variety, of which 

 Michigan has sixty or seventy good native species, taking care to place 

 each in soil suited for its best development. Once in a while some stub- 

 born man will persist in his straight row of sugar maples; all right; by so 

 doing the streets will become an object lesson, as they should. It is well 

 enough to plant trees thickly along the street, but the trouble comes 

 when half or two thirds of them should be removed to give the others room 

 to make fine specimens. Not one man in a thousand has the foresight and 

 the nerve io take out some of the pretty young trees before all become 

 crowded, slim, and unsightly. Then it is usually too late, and all are 

 left to themselves. 



I have said nothing about the care of trees and shrubs on the street. 



[Accompanj'ing this paper, were exhibited seven photographs illustrat- 

 ing the points discussed, four of which are here reproduced by engrav- 

 ings.] 



