ORNAMENTAL SHADE TREES AND THEIR CARE 



BY HOMER D. HOUSE 



STATE BOTANIST, NEW YORK 



IT cannot be said with any degree of propriety that 

 trees are really at home along city streets. They 

 belong in the forest, and when planted for shade 

 or ornamental purposes are confronted with a new set 

 of conditions,. which make life anything but a simple 

 proposition for them. It is not unlike the problems which 

 confront the citizen of a forested, rural community who 

 for the first time finds himself obliged to cope with the 

 confused life of a big city. 



In this brief discussion of trees I must confine my- 

 self largely to the subject 

 of the proper selection and 

 care of trees best fitted for 

 shade and ornament along 

 the streets of cities and 

 towns. The particular 

 species of trees most suit- 

 able for this purpose va- 

 ries considerably with the 

 climate of the various por- 

 tions of the United States 

 and Canada, but certain 

 general principles regard- 

 ing their selection and 

 care apply everywhere. In 

 the use of trees for street 

 shade there are certain re- 

 quirements and conditions 

 which do not permit of 

 very great diversity of 

 kinds, as compared with 

 the number of trees which 

 can be used for shade and 

 ornament in parks and pri- 

 vate estates. Allowing for 

 certain minor differences 

 in soil, exposure, and 

 drainage, conditions to 

 which trees along streets 

 are subjected are apt to be 

 generally uniform in any 

 one section of the country, 

 and experience has dem- 

 onstrated the supreme fit- 

 ness of certain trees and 

 undesirability of others. 



The proper use of a few hardy and desirable shade 

 trees is preferable from every point of view to the indis- 

 criminate and improper use of a great variety of trees, 

 some or many of which are entirely out of place as street 

 trees. So much has been written about the good points 

 of our native and introduced trees that it seems like 

 needless repetition to point out the characters which 

 make them most desirable for street trees. 



It is useless to plant trees which are not hardy or 

 not adapted to the soil or able to withstand wind, snow, 

 and ice, and these latter conditions may vary consider- 

 414 



THE BEAUTY OF THE MAGNOLIA 



This tree, most artistically placed near one of the entrances to Franklin Park. 

 Washington, D. C, illustrates the perfect adaptability of the magnolia for 

 such use. 



ably in different portions of the East and North. The 

 most desirable are those trees which suffer least under 

 city conditions from insect and fungous attacks. Some 

 trees, like the basswood and maple, suffer from leaf-burn 

 when over a light-colored pavement. Some trees do 

 better in clay than in sandy soil. These factors must be 

 taken into careful consideration in the selection of trees 

 for any particular street. 



Trees which do not harmonize with the width of the 

 street and the character of the buildings do not accomplish 



the purpose of beautifying 

 the street, which is about 

 as important as the shade 

 which they may give. 

 Tall, overtopping elms are 

 not beautiful on a narrow 

 street where houses are 

 close to the street. For 

 such situations trees of 

 moderate height, growth 

 and with slender crowns 

 are appropriate and beau- 

 tifying to an otherwise 

 unsightly street. 



Our city streets are 

 often too full of trees like 

 the Carolina Poplar, Box 

 Elder, Silver Maple, and 

 Aspens, planted by well- 

 meaning but thoughtless 

 people to secure quick 

 shade in places where 

 with a little care a Nor- 

 way Maple, Sycamore, 

 Red Oak, or Elm would 

 have attained almost as 

 quickly a shade - giving 

 size and a permanency of 

 many years. The fast- 

 growing trees are apt to 

 be short-lived. They are 

 also usually the cheapest, 

 and many people plant 

 them for that reason. This 

 emphasizes the impor- 

 tance of having all street 

 tree planting under the charge of a city forester, who 

 will set out the proper kinds of trees as soon as the 

 street is laid out and paved. 



If the houses are close to the street and close to- 

 gether, dense shade is not desirable. Lawns, walks, and 

 buildings need sunshine. Under such conditions, trees 

 like the Norway Maple if planted close together give 

 too much shade and prevents grass from growing. A 

 tree with thin foliage, like the Ash, White Birch, or 

 Locust, is most desirable for such streets, although local 

 conditions may permit Norway Maple planted at greater 



