SHADE TREE PLANTING 77 



opment of the crown in the way best suited for shade and 

 ornament. 



In choosing nursery stock, when the city does not have 

 its own nursery, the first consideration is the selection of 

 the nursery itself. Strict care must be given to confining 

 purchases to one of known reliability and responsibility. 

 Trees from other sources are apt to be defective and 

 improperly developed and trained. The cost of the 

 specimen is of such small significance, that an attempt to 

 economize by seeking trees commended by nothing but 

 lowness of price, is mistaken thrift, and almost certain to 

 prove expensive in the long run. 



The importance of dealing with a nurseryman of high 

 repute is obvious. This dealer regards every tree with 

 jealous eye because of its value in contributing to his 

 prestige as a nurseryman. He is no more willing than the 

 customer to have his trees prove defective and unsatis- 

 factory. In addition, he will give valuable advice in the 

 selection of individual specimens and in their planting and 

 care. It is to his interest to do all this, and to aid the tree 

 planter in every possible way, for every tree successfully 

 planted does its share toward stimulating the industry of 

 which his nursery is a part. 



Choose a tree that is in healthy condition and as 

 nearly as possible perfect in shape. The nurseryman who 

 tries to sell a deformed or misshapen tree is a good man 

 to avoid in making purchases, for his effort in this direc- 

 tion may be taken as fairly good evidence that other 

 things are wrong with his stock. Be sure to insist on a 

 properly trained root system. The trees best suited for 

 transplanting into street environment are those in which 

 the roots have been pruned into compact form, to fit 

 them for life in a ground area restricted by paving, side- 

 walks, curbs and underground pipe and conduit construe- 



