194 



GARDENING. 



Mar. 75, 



than it does now. I know nothingmore 

 striking in winter than a young bur oak. 

 Its limbs stand out with all the ruggedness 

 of a being fully equipped to endure win- 

 ter's hardships and to glory in the strug- 

 gle. Then it shows how strongly it is 

 rooted to the earth, suggests the future 

 massiveness of its trunk, and exhibits 

 the inner vigor which causes its twigs to 

 dart here and there in all directions in 

 defiance of gravitation. 



We enjoy these things because they are 

 ways in which nature acts. The strug- 

 gle of thousands of years has caused the 

 trees to assume these forms and adopt 

 these ways as being best fitted for them 

 to continue life and to prosper. Vitality 

 is fully evident, but only as a sleep. We feel 

 that there is an energy in the trees which 

 is only waiting to be awakened. Perhaps 

 we are thinking of that time which is to 

 come, but the tree as it now is offers much 

 for our admiration, by the manner in 

 which it adapts itself to the inclemencies 

 of the season and because of the energy 

 which its form reveals. A. P. Wyman. 



TREE CUTTING IN BOSTON PARKS. 



There has been considerable agitation 

 and discussion of late with regard to 

 the thinning of some tree plantations in 

 the public parks of Boston. The superin- 

 tendent of parks, Mr. J. A. Pettigrew, 

 considered the removal of certain trees 

 necessary to the welfare of the woods, 

 and removed them. The uninformed news- 

 papers and public made protest, and Mr. 

 Pettigrew, in a recent letter to the chair- 

 man of the Board of Park Commissioners, 

 explains the situation and deals with his 

 critics as follows: 



"Regarding the petition which Mr. Wins- 

 low and other gentlemen presented to the 

 park board at Pine Bank, January 24, 

 asking that the board select advisers from 

 a list of names submitted by them, based 

 on the statement that in the matter in 

 question (the thinning of woods and 

 plantations) '3'ou . rely on 3-our superin- 

 tendent, who himself does not wish to be 

 wholly responsible,' I beg to say, I have 

 no desire, nor have I expressed any, to be 

 relieved of any responsibility in this 

 work. It is one of necessity where healthy 

 natural effects are desired, and one that 

 practical foresters and landscape garden- 

 ers understand. 



"These statements certainly are not the 

 result of close observation or investiga- 

 tion, as can be proved by present condi- 

 tions. I am able to say that the intent 

 and purpose of the work that has been 

 done on the plantations and woods were 

 the opposite of those contained in the 

 charges. The work of marking the trees 

 for cutting was done in the summer, when 

 the trees werein full leaf. Consequently, 

 the condition of each tree could be accu- 

 rately ascertained. Special effort was 

 made to retain or create pleasing or 

 picturesque groupings. Where trees were 

 being injured by too close crowding, the 

 weak or sickly were marked for cutting. 

 In no case has a single fine tree been 

 sacrificed. All ground cover, shrubbery 

 or undergrowth of native material has 

 been carefully preserved, except possibly 

 in the case of young tree saplings which, 

 for obvious reasons, have all been cut 

 out, leaving only those selected to replace 

 sickly trees or for other requirements. 



"It is to be regretted that this workhad 

 not been commenced as soon as the lands 

 came into the possession of the park 

 department. Judicious thinning from 

 year to year, with the planting of native 

 shrubs would, ere this, have shown the 

 effect of intelligent effort to assist nature, 



for nature can be assisted and the evi- 

 dence of assistance be concealed. 



"Hastily considered criticism of the 

 landscape gardener's effort to improve 

 the condition of growing timber by thin- 

 ning out crowding trees is probably 

 largely to blame for the deplorable condi- 

 tion of the trees in most of our parks 

 throughout the cotintry. Central Park, 

 New York, contains scarcely one fine 

 specimen of a tree, even in grounds set 

 apart for ornamental work; its wood- 

 lands are forests of bare poles. Prospect 

 Park, Brooklyn, still contains hundreds of 

 nurse trees, planted for shelter to the 

 intended permanent trees, which they 

 have smothered and malformed, instead 

 of protecting, because they were not cut 

 out when their intended work was accom- 

 plished. Much of the planting will have 

 to be commenced over again, the ruin 

 being irretrievable, and all because of the 

 mistaken sentiment against the cutting 

 of a tree. 



"The places from where trees were cut 

 last year cannot now be identified; it is 

 ever found so in forestry', the branches, 

 having more room, spread out, the boles 

 feather out; the general health of the tree 

 is improved; undergrowth is encouraged, 

 having more light. The cutting down 

 this year has even now left little evidence; 

 none will be found in summer except in 

 the greater wealth of verdure and natural 

 beautv." 



TREES TO ADORN STREETS. 



At a recent meeting of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society Mr. Wm. R. Smith, 

 curator of the United States Botanic 

 Garden, Washington, D. C, delivered an 

 address on the above subject, of which 

 the following is an abstract: 



In Washington, where the soil is gener- 

 ally poor, we usually remove two orthree 

 good-sized cartloads from a hole and 

 replace with the best top soil to be had. 

 We do this in dry weather for obvious 

 reasons; we stir up the bottom and avoid 

 compacting the sides of the same. Do not 

 plant too closely. The character of the 

 trees selected must determine the distance 

 apart. One important aid to success is 

 the tree box. It is doubtful whether by 

 shading the stem of the tree from the sun 

 to prevent scalding, or holding the newly 

 planted tree steady, is its most valuable 

 service. Do not attempt to go into the 

 woods or uncultivated ground for trees, 

 except as a dire necessity. We were com- 



pelled to do this at first, for some things, 

 and were moderately successful with 

 American sycamores, elms, scarlet maples 

 and tulip trees. It is my deliberate opin- 

 ion that in the interest of economy it is 

 better to get nursery-grown trees. Every 

 city, village or suburban town ambitious 

 for distinction for being well planted with 

 trees, should have a nursery of its own, 

 where healthy trees can be reared. Get 

 clean seedlings from some reliable source, 

 cultivate, prune and train them in the 

 way they should grow, in the best ground 

 obtainable. This last suggestion is of 

 great importance. Trees from a poor, 

 thin, gravely soil, or from a wet, sour, 

 undrained one, are worthless. 



That queen of American trees, the sugar 

 maple, when bark-bound from any cause, 

 should be dispensed with and a young 

 healthy one substituted. It refuses to do 

 duty as a curbstone tree. The Norway 

 maple is one of the best curbstone trees, 

 less self-assertive than some others. From 

 a rare volume styled "Hand-book of 

 Ornamental Trees," by Thomas Meehan, 

 I find the following under Acer dasycar- 

 pum (white maple): "One of the finest of 

 our native trees. It is so often seen in a 

 half-starved, stunted state, as a street 

 tree, that one might be incredulous of its 

 beauty, when under proper circumstances, 

 from a mere description." One would 

 think the editor had recently visited 

 Washington. His description suits the 

 actualit3 r at the present time. The lim- 

 ited supply- of moisture and food obtain- 

 able makes it necessary that this large 

 growing tree should be judiciously pruned. 

 With roots caged and confined, it is not 

 possible for it to sustain a large top. 

 Intelligence should take this whole situa- 

 tion into consideration and act accord- 

 ingly. The gorgeous autumnal tints of 

 the swamp maple make it an object of 

 interest to every lover of trees. Not 

 being able to obtain this tree in the nur- 

 series, we went to the woods, with only 

 moderate success. Had we cut the small 

 trees to the ground when planted in the 

 nursery, I think the result would have 

 been better. 



The ash-leaved maple (Acer Negundo) , 

 a herald of spring, with its beautiful 

 green foliage, and its rapid growth, 

 would be an excellent street tree, were it 

 not for the bag- worm and web-caterpillar 

 being so fond of it. It should be skillfully 

 pruned to keep it in good health. With 

 the sycamore maple, we have had only 



GINKGO TREES IN WASHINGTON. D. 0. 



