TREE PLANTING ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. 1 89 



curbstone, the Japanese Ginkgo is well adapted, as it does not attain a wide spread. 

 When fully grown it is over sixty feet high, but in New York, with its cold winters, 

 this species does not grow to its full size, although hardy and thrifty in other 

 respects. This tree is not slow in growth, but still it furnishes little shade until it 

 approaches maturity, when it assumes a tapering form with ample foliage. Thus 

 far the Ginkgo has been free from destructive insects. Its peculiar, fan-shaped 

 leaves, in form like those of the maiden hair fern, retain their olive green color until 

 early autumn, when they change to a rich yellow or orange. Though not an ever- 

 green it is a conifer, of the yew family, a distinction seldom noticed by many who 

 are familiar with the appearance of the tree. 



The Willows furnish some species that are available for shade and ornament. 

 The one best adapted for street planting is the Bay or Laurel-leaved Willow. As it 

 is not a large tree it should be reserved for narrow streets. The slender, tapering 

 leaves, which are bright, glossy, and of a deep green on both sides, form a conspicu- 

 ous feature of this species. 



The Hackberry is a medium sized tree, which, in its general appearance, 

 resembles the Elm. Its straight trunk does not divide until it has attained consid- 

 erable height, a peculiarity which is an advantage in a street tree ; but, as its roots 

 generally rise above the ground for some distance from the trunk it is better 

 adapted to village streets or wide avenues, where the flagstones of the sidewalk do 

 not extend to the curb. While it is not a tree of the first magnitude, it is generally 

 too large for narrow streets. Though a native it is rarely found in our woods ; but 

 young trees can always be obtained from nurseries. It is so uncommon that, aside 

 from botanists, foresters, or lovers of trees, it is seldom recognized by its right 

 name. There are places in New York where some lone specimen is described by 

 the people in its vicinity as " the lost tree " or " the unknown tree," and is the sub- 

 ject of marvelous stories as to its origin or characteristics. The Hackberry is easily 

 identified, however, by its elm-like leaf and habit, by its peculiar bark, covered with 

 hard, warty, excresences. and by the small, dark red, berry-shaped fruit, which 

 clings to the stems long after the leaves have fallen — often during the entire win- 

 ter. Its rapid growth under all ordinary conditions of soil or climate, together 

 with its freedom from disease and insects, entitles it to consideration in making a 

 selection. 



The Hardy Catalpa is a tree 50 to 70 feet high, of erect habit and ornamental 

 character — a desirable kind in certain situations. In June it is resplendent with 

 white or violet-tinged flowers, growing in large, upright, pyramid-shaped clusters. 

 Objection has been made to the Catalpa as a street tree, because it is liable to injury 



