282 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



munities are energetically awakened and enthused to the necessity of 

 planting trees around the premises, on the lawns, on public grounds and 

 along the highways and drives "for the purposes of shade, embellishment 

 and protection. 



I talie it that in the presentation of this subject that the things you 

 want discussed are the essentials which go to malie a good shade tree 

 in the ti-iple sense meaning of shade, ornament and protection, and for 

 planting in all the places that such a tree may be demanded. That j^ou 

 also want to linow the species of trees that I consider the best to plant 

 and my reasons for their selection. Also, that you want advice as to the 

 methods of planting and care of trees' against injuring causes. And that 

 all of these things are to be brought before you in the light of the most 

 economical and practical plan of execution. 



- In the matter of the selection of shade trees, I do not believe that 

 any kinds of trees can be chosen which will better meet all the require- 

 ments and conditions than our natural forest trees. 



Of these I would give pi-ominence to the following: The sugar and red 

 maples; the scarlet, red and black oaks; sweet gum, white elm, lin, yel- 

 low or tulip poplar, white ash, flowering dogwood, redbud, honey and 

 black locusts. 



Of foreign trees the long leaved pines, arbor vitaes and Norway maple 

 are excellent trees, but do not come so cheaply and conveniently near the 

 conditions of every one. 



I recommend the sugar and Norway maples l>ecause of the beautiful, 

 lai'ge, round, compact crown of luxuriant foliage which is unexcelled in 

 its verdant green during the spring and summer and the beautiful autumn 

 tints that are almost impossible to portray in colors by the most skilled 

 artist. Under cultivation and good care they are more rapid growers 

 than usually accredited. For all uplands and ridges where the soil ap- 

 proaches clay and possesses a fair degree of moisture, though not wet, 

 these ti-ees have no equal and at an early age attain a symmetrical figure. 

 The same may be said of the qualities of beauty in the red maple. It, 

 however, is a rapid grower and must have wet soil for successful gi-owing. 



The scarlet oak, a large, handsome tree of stately bearing and sym- 

 metrical crown of long, broad, deeply scalloped, smooth, shining leaves 

 of verdant green on both sides in summer, but which turn a bright red 

 in autumn and persist till freezing, together with the gi-ayish colored 

 slightly furrowed bark, make this a most desirable tree for planting on 

 light, dry sandy soils. 



The red oak is a large tree with a deep rounded crown of dense foliage, 

 but free from heaviness; verdant green in summer, but of deep red and 

 orange tints in autvimn, which, with its clean limbs and trunk, makes 

 it a fine tree to plant in most every soil and climate. 



The black oak, a tree not so symmetrical and compact of crown, but 

 with the red leaves of spring, which become silvery green in summer and 



