PLANTING OF STREETS AND WAYSIDES. 109 



on the work, and is further held in strict aceountabihty for its per- 

 formance. When these requisites are lacking, failures or a half- 

 hearted execution of the trust result. 



Associations formed for the object of encouraging the planting 

 of trees by individual effort, or by cooperative methods, seldom 

 accomplish much. Not every one possesses sufficient enthusiasm 

 to enter into the work of planting trees on the streets; the results 

 appear too far off, and planting for posterity seems, to many per- 

 sons, too much of a self-sacrifice. 



Compared with individual effort, without doubt, the work can 

 be done more comprehensively and economically under municipal 

 supervision. Under a well-organized bureau the whole work of 

 street embellishment can be intelligently considered, including such 

 subjects as the planting of waste grounds, soils, exposures, the 

 selection of trees to suit the varying conditions found in the streets, 

 pruning, fertilizing, and the destruction of insect pests. A nursery 

 in which to grow and prepare trees for planting in the streets should 

 be a part of the equipment of such a bureau. 



The selection of trees for the streets is a matter of special impor- 

 tance. Fortunately we have a wealth of material from which to 

 choose. I will enumerate a few trees that I consider the best fitted 

 for the work. 



The American elm (Ulmus Americana) is endeared to the people 

 of New England by the manner in which it has embowered many of 

 our towns and waysides with its beautiful pendulous branches; 

 the fame of New England's elms has spread far and wide. The 

 American elm is not suitable for planting under hard conditions 

 in city streets; it loves a rich, moist soil, with plenty of room for 

 development; for wide suburban streets and for waysides it is a 

 grand tree. 



The European elm {Uhmis cam-pesiris) is a noble tree. It has 

 not the graceful, pendulous habit of the American elm, yet it pos- 

 sesses, in its columnar trunk, a stately grandeur hardly equaled by 

 any other tree. It thrives well under adverse conditions. As a 

 sidewalk tree it has many valuable qualities, conspicuous among 

 which is the persistency of its rich, green leaves, lasting, as they do, 

 until late in the autumn. In some seasons its summer growth does 

 not become ripened sufficiently to stand the winters in this latitude; 



