146 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 170. 



of the shrubs and vines which decorate roadsides are now used extensively 

 by landscape p;ardeners in planting, and various species are very highly 

 I)rized. 



The native shrubbery consists of the various elderberries, Viburnums, 

 honeysuckles, cornels or dogwoods, luiwthorns, hollies, sumachs, azaleas, 



laurels, blueberries, etc. 

 There are also such species 

 as the chokecherries, witch- 

 hazel, sassafras, alders, etc. 

 The most characteristic 

 New England country 

 roadside trees are the 

 chestnut, various oaks and 

 maples, hickories, ashes, 

 l)ines, hendock, elm, cher- 

 ries, hornbeam, tupelo, 

 birches and poplars. They 

 are found growing in all 

 sorts of combinations, 

 mingled with dift'erent 

 types of shrubbery, vines 

 and herbaceous plants, 

 with resulting effects quite 

 unlike those obtained by 

 artificial planting. Aside 

 from the removal of briers 

 and other growths too 

 close to the roadbed, or the cutting out of the natural vegetation near 

 abrupt curves where its presence constitutes an element of danger to 

 traffic, or in cases where some legitimate scheme involving permanent 

 improvement is concerned, roadside shrubbery should not be destroyed. 

 There are, of course, occasions when the cutting of roadside shrubbery 

 is desirable to improve the new growth which soon follows, but this should 

 be done with discretion and care. 



Flc. 17. — Country roadside, sbowin 

 growtli of native species 



spontaueous 



Root Characteristics. 



There are Avell-defined differences in the development of the root 

 systems of shade trees. All seedlings develop what are termed primary 

 and secondary root systems; the former are known as taproots and the 

 latter as laterals. In certain species like the red cedar the taproot develops 

 quite extensively. In young trees its function is relatively more im- 

 portant than in older ones; hence it is usually easier to transplant large 

 pasture cedars than small ones, which are more dependent on the tap- 

 root. 



The lateral root system in some trees is well developed, and those 

 having this system are in general the easiest to handle. The elm, maple, 



