76 SHADE-TREES IN TOWNS AND CITIES 



which had already been planted between Arlington and 

 Dartmouth Streets, and the planting in their place of two 

 rows of trees from one end of the avenue to the other. The 

 city government, however, refused to act on their sugges- 

 tion. In 1880 and 1881, by order of the Common Council, 

 the planting of four rows of trees was continued in this 

 avenue up to Massachusetts Avenue. The Park Commis- 

 sioners of Boston are now confronted with the problem of 

 thinning out the trees. 



Trees Set with Relation to the Street. Trees should be 

 set out with relation to each other and the street as a whole, 

 and not with relation to the frontage of individual property. 

 In the more recently developed sections of cities where 

 property is high, single lots may range in width from 

 twenty to thirty feet. The average distance required by 

 shade-trees for proper development is from thirty-five to 

 forty-five feet ; hence there must necessarily be some houses 

 that will not have trees in front of them. Fine shade-trees, 

 however, benefit the entire street, and after they become 

 large every house profits by them. When that time comes 

 it matters little in front of which particular property the 

 stem of the tree is located. 



The Spacing Uniform. The spacing of the trees should 

 be uniform, and the specimens on the two sides of the 

 street opposite each other. There will be many obstacles in 

 the ordinary street, such as lamp-posts, water hydrants, 

 house, water, and gas connections, that will prevent an 

 absolutely uniform spacing of trees. Judgment will then 

 have to be used as to how to redistribute the distance so 

 that there will be least deviation from a uniform plan. 

 Trees should be kept away at least eight feet from lamp- 

 posts and about ten feet from water hydrants. 



