338 CONNECTICUT EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT, lO/XX 



the failure to produce trees of symmetrical proportions. The 

 purpose of planting trees in our streets and parks is not only 

 to furnish shade but also to beautify the city. When trees 

 are planted, the question should always be considered, whether 

 the right varieties have been chosen, whether the individuals 

 are perfect, and whether the location of each tree is such that 

 it can develop symmetrically. 



It requires only a short walk in the New Haven streets and 

 parks to see trees which are misshapen because they have been 

 crowded by one or more of their neighbors, and to see young 

 trees which will never develop into beautiful individuals because 

 they were not properly treated in the nursery. 



The failure to produce symmetrical trees in city streets and 

 parks can usually be attributed to the following causes: 



(a) Poor nursery stock. It is as true of trees, as of our field 

 and garden crops, that, to secure good results, the seed must be 

 selected with care and from the right sources. Trees run into 

 varieties as readily as other plants and these varieties differ 

 greatly in beauty. Therefore, the seed for producing orna- 

 mental trees should be gathered from trees of known stock as 

 to symmetry and hardiness. Often this is not done, however, 

 and those who gather seed to supply the trade do not take into 

 consideration the quality of the trees which produce it. Com- 

 mercial stock is, therefore, liable to be (in part at least) from 

 trees belonging to the less desirable varieties. It is safer that 

 the seed used be from trees of known excellence. As a rule 

 those who select young stock for street planting are not qualified 

 to judge what individuals are likely to develop into well-shaped 

 trees. With the system now in use, it is inevitable that a certain 

 number of trees are planted which ought never to have left the 

 nursery. Members of the Committee have noticed, in numerous 

 instances in New Haven streets, young trees which can never 

 be beautiful specimens because they were not properly handled 

 in the nursery. 



(b) Poor judgment in selecting the species. Hitherto the 

 selection of the varieties of trees to be planted has been left 

 entirely to the private citizens who purchase them. The result 

 is that there is no uniformity among the trees on many streets, 

 and frequently varieties have been set out which are not suitable 

 for street purposes. A case in point is on lower Prospect 



