SELECTION OF TREES FOR PLANTING 



65 



leaves over the whole of the 

 oval top. This floral rich- 

 ness has caused the tree to 

 be widely used in the streets 

 of Paris, where the Horse 

 Chestnut eloquently ex- 

 presses the French love of 

 beauty. The tree does not 

 require very rich soil and is 

 of fairly rapid growth. On 

 the other hand its leaves 

 drop off during the summer, due largely to a fungus 

 trouble, leaving the tree bare during the autumn months, 

 while the dropping of buds, flowers and nuts in the vary- 

 ing seasons results in much street litter. The disease that 

 causes this dropping of the leaves can be largely con- 

 trolled by spraying. The tree suffers much from insect 

 and fungus attacks, as well as from boys trying to secure 

 the non-edible nuts; and while its attractiveness is be- 

 yond question, this charm is fleeting, and the tree does 

 not commend itself to general use in street planting. It is 

 more at home on lawns and in parks or other open spaces. 



Black Locust. The Black Locust has many fine 

 qualities for narrow streets, but it is so subject to attacks 

 and serious injury from boring insects that its use is not to 

 be advised in the east. It is one of the best in the western 

 half of the country. 



The Conifers. While highly ornamental for lawns 

 and parks, or other open places, the Pines and kindred 

 trees, classified as Conifers, have no place in street plant- 

 ing. The mere fact that they are evergreens is enough 

 to bar them from this usage. Their winter shade is unde- 

 sirable and in addition to this, they do not yield readily to 

 pruning. Besides which, the normal shape of many of 



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