CENTRAL PARK TREES STARVING TO DEATH 



1395 



A CLUMP OF WHITE PINES 



Shallow soil — a rocky outcrop was only about 75 feet away — exposure to wind and to the direct 

 rays of the sun, no shading of the ground under the trees, all work together with the dust- 

 laden air of the city to stunt and kill these trees which are capable of making splendid 

 growth on a favorable site. 



grow well almost 

 anywhere. It is a 

 very striking tree 

 in general appear- 

 ance, and one of 

 the best of city 

 trees. 



A n other exotic 

 species is theAilan- 

 thus, or Tree of 

 Heaven, also from 

 China. Like the 

 Gingko, this spe- 

 cies is very hardy 

 and will thrive 

 where most other 

 species would die. 

 It is even more 

 hardy than the 

 Gingko, and is do- 

 ing well in the park. 



The wild black cherry is very com- 

 monly found in Central Park, especially 

 in the northern portion on the forested 

 <>ns. It will grow on many varieties 

 of soil, and the moisture conditions are 

 not exacting, but they must be uniform 

 for the tree to attain large size. 



The white ash is also a common tree 

 in Central Park and its crown is fre- 

 quently thin owing to the hard condi- 

 tions it has to face. It is a tree which is 

 rather exacting in moisture requirements, 

 but will reach large size when it is on a 

 well-watered, porous soil. 



The common COttonWood often en- 

 countered in Central Park is another tree 

 with a good deal of capacity for stand- 

 ing city conditions as long as it has 



WHERE HEAVY CLAY HINDERS TREE GROWTH 



About this little drinking fountain the soil is a very heavy clay— almost like putty. This 



has been the means of the death of the three trees in the background. The tree on the right 



has been killed by the placing of an asphalt walk right up to it on one side and from appear- 

 ances to within a foot or so on the other. 



plenty of moisture in the surface soil. 

 Its soil requirements are much less 

 important than its moisture demands. 



Of the evergreens, none do really well 

 in the dust and bad air of the city, while 

 of the pines, the white pine is often 

 found in Central Park, but it needs 

 abundant and constant moisture in order 

 to attain to its best growth. 



The Austrian pine is another frequent 

 factor in the make-up of Central Park- 

 scenery. It is hardy and can withstand 

 city conditions fairly well, although, of 

 course, influenced by them to some ex- 

 tent, and is not as healthy in Central 

 Park as it should be. 



These species of trees are in general 

 the principal trees met with in Central 

 Park. Now, let us examine the park 

 and see what suc- 

 cess has been made 

 in growing them 

 there. Taking 

 them in order of 

 their resistance to 

 hard conditions : 



The elm is in a 

 class by itself and 

 how it has suffered 

 is told in a prev- 

 ious paragraph. 



The beech, not 

 so plentiful as the 

 elm, has perhaps 

 been more injured 

 than any other spe- 

 cies in the park. 



Next in order 

 come the red 

 maple, and the lin- 



THE ELMS ALONG FIFTH AVENUE 



This picture was taken in the second week in September. Note the loss of foliage and the hard 

 packed soil around the base of the trees. There was little or nothing to shade the soil about 

 these trees from the sun. ' 



