STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 233 



a very good width for drive-ways; eight is wide enough: for large grounds ten 

 feet looks well. Lines should always be curved and they should follow the slope 

 of the grounds in such a way as to carry off the water freely, either winter or sum- 

 mer. The edges should always be kept smooth and even ; the gravel should be 

 screened, aad whether coarse or fine, should be as nearly uniform as possible, 

 crushed stone is very nice for walks or drives, and where it can be procured as 

 cheaply as gravel it would be preferable ; if you are troubled with weeds or grass 

 in the walks use salt freely, it is the cheapest way to keep them clean. 



Having arranged the grounds, walks and drives, we now come to the selection 

 and arrangment of trees, for these are the crowning feature of all rural adornment; 

 it is here that all the faculties of the mind are brought into full play. Color, shape 

 rapidity of growth, adaptibility of soil, and exposure, relation of surrounding ob- 

 jects to each other, all these and many other questions must be considered before 

 we decide what to plant. If, as is frequently the case, there are native trees al- 

 ready on the ground, they should be utilized as far as possible. We have in Min- 

 nesota such an abundance of ornamental shade-trees whose characteristics are so 

 perfect we have no need to go abroad for trees to ornament our grounds. The fol- 

 lowing list of deciduous and evergreen trees we consider sufficient for the purpose 

 of adorning the largcat ground. With the exception of the six last named, and we 

 could very conveniently dispense with them, they are all natives of Minnesota, well 

 adapted to our soil and climate ; if properly planted they will live and grow strong, 

 healthy and beautiful, very much superior to any of the sick, stunted, worthless 

 importations that cost so much and amount to so little. 



Following is a list of trees suitable for ornamental planting, found growing 

 naturaly in the forest of Minnesota: 



White Elm, Dlmus Americana: Rock Elm; Corky Elm; Slippery Elm; Hard 

 or Sugar Maple, Acer Saccharianum; Red or Scarlet Maple, Acer Rubrum; White 

 or Silver Maple, Acer Dosycarpum; Ash Leaved Maple (Boxelder,) Negijndo; Hack- 

 berry, Cettis Occidentetis; White Ash, Fraxinus Americana; Green Ash, Frax- 

 inus V^iridis; Black Ash, Fraxinus Sambuci Falia; Basswood or Linden, Tilia Ameri- 

 cana; White Oak, Quercus Alba; Burr Oak, Quercus Macracarpa; Red Oak, Quer- 

 cus Rubra; Black Oak, Quercus Tinctura; Jack Oak, Quercus Nigra; Black Wal- 

 nut, Juglans Nigra; Butternut, Juglans Cinerea; Black Cherry, Cerasus Virginiana; 

 Bird Cherry, Cerasus Pennsylvanica; Several varities of willow; White Birch, Betula 

 Papulu falia; Yellow Birch, Betula Excelsa; Cottonwood; Iron Wood, Olueya 

 Tesuta; Tamarac, Tarix Americana; White Pine, Jack Pine, Red Cedar, White 

 Cedar, Black Spruce, White Spruce, Balsam Fir, Lombardy Poplar, Silver Poplar, 

 European Larch, Scotch Pine, Austrian Pine, Norway Spruce, Abies Excelsa. 



One would not be expected to use all of these varieties on a city lot of half an 

 acre or less, but for the farm or for exurban grounds of three or more acres they 

 could be used with good effect. If there is only room for one tree plant a White 

 Elm; if two, an Elm and a hard maple. I place white elm first on the list, but at 

 the same time some of our tree planters think too much of the elm. The boxelder 

 is a very fine tree, hardy, quick-growing, starts out early in the spring, makes an 

 abundance of shade, requires very little care, is easily propagated and bears trans- 

 planting well. But of all the varieties of trees, taking shape, color and everything 

 Into consideration, the hard maple is the king; naturally upright and symetrical 



