CHAPTER X. 



THE PLANTIN^G OF STREETS AND AVENUES. 



The villages of New England, looking at their sylvan 

 charms, are as beautiful as any in the world. Their archi- 

 tecture is simple and unpretending,-of(en, indeed, meager 

 and unworthy of notice. The houses are surrounded by 

 inclosures full of trees and shrubs, with space enough to 

 afford comfort, and ornament enough to denote taste. But 

 the main street of the village is an avenue of elms, posi- 

 tively delightful to behold. Always wide, the overreaching 

 bouglis form an aisle more grand and beautiful than that of 

 any old Gotliic cathedral. J. J. Doiniing. 



We have already alluded to the treatment of streets, 

 saying that streets and avenues, since they manifestly 

 follow geometrical lines, demand a formal treatment. 

 And this formality ought to go further than the mere 

 alignment of the trees. It is still more important that 

 the various trees should be of the same species and of 

 the same age and uniformly developed. Not enough 

 pains is commonly taken to secure these desiderata. 

 One can easily satisfy himself by his own observations 

 anywhere in the United States that, while street trees 

 are nearly always planted in orderly rows, it is the some- 

 what rare exception to find a row of really good and 

 uniform specimens. Such uniformity is not easy to 

 secure, especially when its importance is not understood 

 at the outset. The only advice which can be given is to 

 exercise great care in planting and the utmost vigilance 

 during the early years of development. 



An explanation of frequent cases of unsatisfactory 

 growth of young street trees is to be sought in the inad- 

 equate feeding given them. If they grow close to the 

 street on one side and to a paved walk or row oi build- 



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