22 



It is the fastest grower and has the best form of the three trees. Its 

 western range can probably be extended somewhat but very little ex- 

 perimental planting with the pines has been done! 



LIVE OAK (Quercus virginiana) A magnificent broad crowned 

 evergreen oak, native of Central Texas. It is a slow grower but reaches 

 immense size and an old age. Because of its wide spreading crown it 

 should be given plenty of room. It makes a very dense shade with its 

 dark green glossy leaves. 



ABBORVITAE (Tliuja occidentalis)A compact hardy tree with 

 scale-like leaves and dry cones instead of the "berries" which are found 

 on cedar. The twigs are flattened fan-like. The arborvitae grows mod- 

 erately fast and makes a fair sized tree. It can be trimmed to any de- 

 sired form. It appears to stand dry hot summers very well and makes 

 a good hedge tree. 



CHINESE ABBOEVITAE (Thuja orientalis)A Chinese tree sim- 

 ilar to the above species but even hardier. Many nursery varieties of 

 the arborvitae trees have been propagated, varying widely in size, form, 

 nnd color. 



OLIVE (Oka europea) A medium sized broadleaf evergreen much 

 used along the gulf. 



Many varieties of palms and semi-tropical trees are being tried out 

 along the coast and the exact limits of their ranges have not been de- 

 termined. 



A safe rule to follow is to plant what your neighbor has had success 

 with. This is conservative, of course, and many other varieties may do 

 as well or even better than those which are found in any particular 

 locality. Nursery men are apt to be over-enthusiastic about new intro- 

 ductions or to describe unusual results as what could commonly be ex- 

 pected. It is well not to put too high hopes in unproven trees. On the 

 other hand no one perfect shade tree has been discovered. Each has its 

 good points and its poor ones. One tree is short-lived, another is hard 

 to transplant, yet another is especially subject to insect attacks, and so 

 it goes. The list given above might have been doubled or trebled with- 

 out exhausting all the possibilities for planting in the state. There 

 are 200 or more native trees in Texas, and the list of exotics which 

 might be of value in some parts of the state is a long one. 



PLANNING LOCATION 



After selecting the proper variety of tree for the street in question 

 the next point to be decided is the proper location of the trees and their 

 proper spacing. The tendency is always to space trees too closely. This, 

 of course, is due to the desire on the part of the planter to secure a 

 maximum of shade in a minimum of time. This close spacing would 

 be of minor importance perhaps desirable from an aesthetic standpoint 

 if the trees were thinned out as soon as they started to interfere. How- 

 ever, once the trees get large enough to interfere with one another they 

 have assumed a place in the owner's affections which warps his good judg- 

 ment. They seem to be too valuable to be cut out just now and are 

 left for a few years longer. The result is that by the time they are 



