88 STREET PLANTING 



the red horse-chestnut itself (AZ. earned}. There seems no reason why 

 this tree should not be planted more. Left to itself it is apt to branch low, 

 but that tendency, of course, is easily overcome by early training and the 

 removal of lower branches as I know from experience. The tree itself 

 is rarely more than 30 ft. high in this country, and is of great beauty in 

 blossom. 



Tilia euchlora. Although this lime is beginning to find its way 

 into gardens, its value as a street tree does not appear to have anywhere 

 been appreciated in this country. It is otherwise on the Continent. 

 In several German nurseries it is grown by the tens of thousands to 

 sell for street planting. It is a very handsome lime, as may be seen 

 in the Arboretum at Kew, and it does not appear likely ever to become 

 anything like so tall as the common lime. The leaves are larger than 

 those of the common lime, and of a dark glossy green. Still, its 

 greatest recommendation is its cleanliness. The summer of 1909 will 

 be remembered for the extraordinary abundance of insect life that 

 infested the leaves of nearly all trees, and especially limes. Yet although 

 I searched several times, I never saw a single insect on the leaves of 

 Tilia euchlora which could be called parasitic. 



Robinia Pseudacacia. The common acacia, or locust, has a great 

 beauty of leaf and flower, but has a bad reputation, owing to the brittle 

 nature of its branches and the tendency of the trunk to split. The latter 

 defect is obviated by keeping the tree to a single lead, and the former is 

 not sufficient to deter its use in streets. I know of .several in a fairly 

 wide but very busy road which flower profusely almost every year, and 

 are still shapely, although they have been over thirty years in their present 

 position. 



Fraximis Ornus. The manna ash is a tree worth trying for streets. 

 Its foliage is luxuriant and handsome, and it flowers abundantly about 

 the end of May. It has one quality of especial value in this connection : 

 it bears pruning well and recovers quickly from even severe lopping. Its 

 size, too, is quite suitable for all but the smallest streets, as it does not 

 increase very rapidly and is easily kept within bounds. 



Small Flowering Trees. Except the horse-chestnut, there is no 

 tree commonly planted in streets which has any striking beauty of flower 

 or fruit. It is difficult to see why this should be so, except in crowded 

 streets and large or smoky cities. Many handsome flowering trees are 

 of a size suitable for the average street of clean suburbs and country 

 towns. There is the mountain ash, for instance, a tree of the middle size, 

 of erect growth, and beautiful in leaf, flower, and fruit. I have recom- 

 mended it to superintendents of town planting, and the only objection 

 to it that has been made is that its fruits would be an irresistible attraction 

 for town boys. The same recommendations and the same objections may 



