170 Landscape Gardening 



greens or in contrast with trees and shrubs with bright 

 yellow or red shoots for winter effect. 



European White Birch (Betula alba). Somewhat similar 

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

 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. lento). 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 grows 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. dentatd). 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 were 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 are less 



