CENTRAL PARK TREES STARVING TO DEATH 



1393 



typical swamp type. At maturity the root system is 

 wholly superficial, rarely penetrating the soil to a greater 

 depth than two and one-half feet. The tree attains its 

 largest size and best proportions on deep, moist, fertile 

 bottomlands. It does particularly well on fine silt and clay 

 lands that retain the moisture in the surface layers, so 

 that till soils and uplands soil that retain moisture in the 

 surface layers will support this tree. The soil is not im- 

 portant where the moisture conditions are suitable." 

 From this it can be seen that the elms are able to grow 

 well in Central Park, but it is not as a whole a very good 

 site for it, much of it being upland and not too well 

 watered. The elms growing there, therefore, would be 

 living nearer the boundary line between sickness and 

 health that would be the case with some other species, and 

 a sudden succession of changes in growing conditions or 



found entirely defoliated but frequently thin crowns are 

 apparent. English oak, red oak and scarlet oak were 

 found in excellent condition although some showed signs 

 of deterioration by being stagg-headed, i. e., with dead 

 tops. 



The beech is another heavy sufferer. In fact if any- 

 thing it has suffered even more severely than the elm, 

 only not being plentiful it strikes the attention less. The 

 beech does best on a deep, rich soil, but any soil with 

 plenty of moisture in the central layers will maintain it. 



The Oriental plane tree, or sycamore, is a common tree 

 in Central Park, and an excellent one for such planting, 

 being bothered by very few insect or fungus attacks, and 

 being very hardy. It is badly injured by severe frost, 

 however. 



The lindens are often to be seen in the park, but are not 



mm 



ALMOST DEFOLIATED BEECH 



Note thick grass about the tree and the expo- 

 sure to the full light of the sun from the direc- 

 tion of the camera — the southeast — where the 

 chief sunlight conies from resulting in the de- 

 pleted vitality of the tree. 



DEAD ELM, FINE OAK 



The elm is in typically "park" conditions, 

 open to the sun and wind and with grass 

 abottl the roots. The pin oak has half of its 

 roots protected from sun and wind by the 

 natural undergrowth of the forest. 



POOR AUSTRIAN PINES 



In general none of the evergreens do very 

 well in the trying conditions of Central Park. 

 Note the short tree in the dense grass. No 

 really fine and strong Austrian pine was found 

 in the park. 



attacks from insects or fungus enemies would have a very 

 severe effect upon them. 



Another very common tree is the pin oak. To quote 

 from the Manual of the Trees of North America, by 

 Sargent: "Borders of swamps and riverbottoms in dee]), 

 moist, rich soil" are the sites best suited to this tree. It 

 is self-evident to anyone who knows Central Park that 

 the pin oak will only occasionally find such sites in 

 Central Park. This tree also, then— as situated in much 

 ol Central Park, must be growing under a handicap and 

 therefore will be more easily injured by changed or in- 

 jurious conditions. At the present time it is seldom 



as hardy under city conditions as a number of other trees, 

 requiring for best development a deep, rich, fertile, moist 

 soil. It is also much subject to insect attacks. 



The Catalpas are trees of great vigor of growth, and 

 are often met with in Central Park. They also do best 

 on a deep, rich, moist soil, but having deeply penetrating, 

 wide spreading root systems, they are less affected by 

 surface drying of the soil than many other species. 



One of the most beautiful of all the trees in Central 

 Park is the tulip tree or yellow poplar. Growing to a 

 great height and with deep, wide spreading roots, it will 

 do splendidly on soils that are not too shallow and which 



