170 Landscape Gardening 



greens or in contrast with trees and shrubs with bright 

 yellow or red shoots for winter effect. 



European White Birch {Betida alba). — Somewhat similar 

 to canoe-birch, with smaller foliage and perhaps a Uttle 

 more graceful outline. A desirable tree, while young, though 

 the cut-leaved weeping form is so much superior that the 

 common type is not often planted. All of the forms of the 

 European birch are short-lived, a great many specimens 

 dying when they reach the age of 25 to 30 years. 



Sweet or Cherry Birch (B. lenta). — Few of our native 

 trees are more regular or graceful in outline than this species 

 when grown in full exposure, but it being a common native 

 tree and producing no conspicuous flowers it has not received 

 the attention it deserves. Trees from the woods or road- 

 side are difficult to transplant, but when grown in the nursery 

 are easily transplanted. They succeed best in a rather moist 

 soil. 



American White or Gray Birch {B. populifolia). — A 

 very pretty small tree when grown with a single trunk or in 

 the group or clumps it so naturally makes. It is easily trans- 

 planted while small and growls well in the poorest kinds of 

 soil. In transplanting large trees, growing in clumps, i.e., 

 from I to 3 inches in diameter, the trunk should be cut down 

 to the ground and one or more shoots be allowed to grow as 

 desired. This treatment gives a vigorous straight growth 

 that may be put into any shape desired, and the growth is 

 very rapid. 



American Chestnut {Castanea Am. dentata). — If allowed 

 to grow with full exposure, this will make a very broad 

 round-headed tree, and is very beautiful upon large grounds. 

 Description and treatment for transplanting wxre given 

 under Avenue- or Street-trees. The fruit of the Spanish 

 and Japanese varieties is much larger, but not of as good 

 quality as that of the American, and the trees ar^ less 



