TREES WITH BRIGHT AUTUMN FOLIAGE 



653 



the country east of the dry farming belt and can thus 

 combine some nut production with brilliant fall foliage. 

 The hickories are medium-sized, oval-topped trees that 

 are somewhat difficult to transplant on account of the 

 long tap root. The trees are sufficiently attractive to be 

 well worth some extra trouble in moving. 



The ginkgo or maiden-hair tree (Ginkgo adiantifolia) 

 is another tree with bright yellow autumn foliage that is 

 most useful in ornamental plantings. Not only is the 

 color a clear pure yellow but the peculiar shape of the 

 leaf gives a texture to the tree that is quite different 

 from that of most others. The leaves are shaped much 

 like the pinnae, that isthe smallest divisions of the frond 

 of the maiden-hair fern, very much enlarged. The tree 

 is attractive at all seasons. It is pyramidal when young 

 but as it reaches maturity it forms a broad flat top. It 

 grows to a large size. It seems to thrive in all parts 

 of the United States except where there is such a defi- 

 ciency of water that but few trees will succeed. 



Although in the general landscape and in the arrange- 

 ment of plants on places of an acre or more trees are 

 of the utmost importance, yet when it comes to the 

 average place which contains less than an acre and usu- 

 ally less than half an acre the smaller growing plants 

 are of far greater relative importance for at most there 

 cannot be room for more than one or two large trees 

 on such a place and the major color effect must be pro- 

 duced by smaller plants. Among the smaller trees the 

 flowering dogwood turns a bright red which with the 

 scarlet berries makes a brilliant show on the approach 

 of freezing weather. This tree sometimes attains a 

 height of twenty feet or more with age, but is usually 



SMOOTH SUMAC 



The dwarf or smooth sumac is one of the showiest of our low-growing plants in its fall 

 coloring. It turns a bright red and holds for a long season. The staghorn and several 

 other sumacs are equally valuable as ornamentals. Even the poison ivy colors brilliantly. 

 The Kuropean or common mist tree is dull yellow. 



SHAGBARK HICKORY 



A nut-bearing tree that is valuable as an ornamental and adds 

 a touch of yellow to the autumn landscape. 



much smaller. It is an attractive tree with its foliage 

 arranged in horizontal layers. Of course the showy 

 white flowers in spring give it an added value for 

 ornamental planting. 

 if^^B Of the small trees with yel- 

 ^^^P low foliage the sassafras (Sas- 

 "^^Kk safras officinalis) is probably 

 ^^^B one of the best for the home 

 ^*4P^ grounds. Sassafras grows in 

 ihickets or sometimes singly 

 where it occasion.illy becomes a 

 large tree. Its value on the 

 small place is chiefly as a small 

 tree or as a mass or thicket. It 

 is difficult to transplant, but 

 when once established it can be 

 trained as a tree or be encour- 

 aged to make a clump. 



In the south the crape u'yrt!^ 

 {Lacgcrstromia indica) becomes 

 a small tree and turns a brilliant 

 bronze almost or quite reo in 

 many cases. It is much grown 

 for its summer and early fnll 

 flowers, but it also h.is value for 

 the color of its ripening foliage 

 on the approach of cold weather. 

 It is widely distributed in gar- 

 dens in the south and is easilv 



