450 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



If fifteen or twenty years ago every other tree had been removed, 

 the trees which were left would have been twice as good in 

 their proportions and character. 



If the house is established, and we have fine trees which are 

 of good size, the importance of tree and shrub planting is not 

 so vital, but there are so many places, especially in the newer 

 regions of our city, where the house site and the school site are 

 without a single tree or shrub. Of course the permanent im- 

 provement is the tree. Shrub planting is a good material to use 

 at first but should not be relied on altogether for permanent 

 results, because certain shrubs are overgrown in five years or 

 more and then have to be trimmed back or replanted. For that 

 reason I always like to secure good permanent trees, such as 

 mountain ash, elms, hackberries, basswoods and all the orna- 

 mentals which you know so well. These give the permanent 

 effect we need. 



If you have a group of trees which is overgrown and the 

 center ones are spindling, if every other tree is taken out the 

 other ones will have a better chance to develop. Then too you 

 can correct the shape of the tree by careful trimming in the 

 matter of taking out certain limbs, the large limbs which cross 

 each other, the limbs which interfere with another tree or the 

 limbs which hang down and spoil the shape of the tree. Then in 

 a few years the tree will fill out and a better permanent tree 

 will result. 



I want to urge the desirability of using the native shrubbery 

 we find growing so plentifully all about us. It is hardy and 

 desirable and has the added advantage of being very inexpensive. 

 One of my superintendents recently did some collecting in Wis- 

 consin, near Eau Claire. He collected nine thousand native 

 shrubs at a cost of three cents apiece, which is going to help 

 materially to keep down the expense of a piece of work. Among 

 these shrubs which he collected are many varieties which are 

 grown in the nurseries, although of course nursery stock is the 

 best and easiest to transplant. 



Among the plants which we found there were the high bush 

 cranberry, which has the fine red berries in the fall, and the red- 

 berried elder, which has a beautiful white bloom in July and 

 then a heavy yield of bright red berries in August. Then the 

 sumach of course we all know; it is hard to find any foliage 

 which is more tropical and more attractive in its effect. Then 



