108 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
development. They prosper less in barren, bleak locations. Oftentimes the 
black, or water, ash (Fraxinus sambucifolia) is confounded with the gray, 
or white, ash, which, from its natural habitat, in low, swampy land, is not a 
good tree for street planting. The white ash is a larger growing tree than 
the blue, or gray, ash, preferring deep, loamy, clay soils, while the gray ash 
flourishes well on lighter, sandy soils. The wood of the former for timber 
is one of the most valuable of this group of trees. They are easily grown 
irom seed, which needs gathering in the fall of the year and planting at once, 
or stratifying in sand for planting in the spring. 
“If I close without saying anything about the box elder (Acer negundo) 
some will ask, why was this tree left out of the list of valuable trees for 
street planting? I know it used to be a very popular tree with planters 
in tree claim days, on account of its fast growth when young; but experi- 
ence has taught us that it is not a fast growing tree after the first ten years, 
and it is more subject to attacks from insects than the other trees named. 
It is continually shedding its foliage through the season, making it a very 
undesirable tree for city street planting. 
Then there is the cottonwood (Populus angustifolia). It is a tree that 
used to be very popular in the early days of shade tree planting in our state, 
but it is fast being discarded as a nuisance at the time of shedding its cot- 
ton seeds, which is very disagreeable to many. 
There are several other varities of trees that are worthy of consideration, 
but I have already made this paper longer than I intended, and have said 
in an imperfect manner enough for the present. 
Mr. Wheaton: In the list of trees recommended by Mr. Elliot 
for street planting, I suppose the recommendation was general. I 
wish to take exception to one tree mentioned in the list, that is the 
sugar maple. I lived where the sugar maple grew, and when | went 
out on the priaries of western Minnesota, I thought I would like 
sugar maples, but they were not a success. I was not the only one 
to try them, so I would not base the failure on my own experience. 
The sugar maple will not stand on the prairies in western Minne- 
sota according to my own experience and the experience of others. 
The wind will kill the trees; they will kill down to the ground; they 
will do nothing unless they have protection. I set out quite a num- 
ber of trees, but they all died. They were protected by evergreens 
and other trees, and some of those maples protected are growing, 
but all the rest are practically dead. I know one man in our vicinity 
who set out, I think, ten acres of maple, and every single tree died. 
I do not think they ought to be recommended as a street tree for 
general planting. 
Mr. Elliot: How does the swamp maple or the red maple do on 
the prairie. 
Mr. Wheaton: That does all right. 
Mr. Elliot: I did not say anything about the sugar maple being 
adapted for prairie planting. Unless it has protection on the prairie 
by some other tree, it will not do to plant there. 
