SHADE TREES. 



G. E. STONE, E. A. START and H. T. FERNALD. 



The general interest in shade trees, particularly in the eastern 

 states, well illustrated by the amount of money expended upon 

 them and the many questions asked concerning their welfare, has 

 created a demand for a brief practical manual covering the various 

 questions relative to shade trees and their management. The Mas- 

 sachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station and the Massachusetts 

 Forestry Association, having both had occasion to realize this need 

 in their work, have united in the publication of this bulletin. 



Shade trees add greatly to the desirability of a community as a 

 place of residence, and their aesthetic value cannot be estimated 

 in dollars and cents, but it is no exaggeration to say that the com- 

 plete destruction of all the trees and shrubbery would reduce the 

 valuation of some cities and towns fifty per cent. 



Trees also possess a utilitarian value which is recognized by the 

 courts, and for the careless destruction of street trees the abutter is 

 entitled to compensation. A street tree adds value to real estate in 

 the same way that a sidewalk or curbing does, but while the side- 

 walk and curbing may deteriorate a tree for many years increases 

 in value. 



Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the care of shade trees. 

 They, as well as crops, give the best results under cultivation, but 

 unfortunately proper conditions do not always exist. Trees grow 

 fairly well on lawns, however, especially when the lawn is occasion- 

 ally fertilized, but mowings devoted to the production of hay are 

 not at all suitable to the development of certain species, such as the 

 elm. Many of the elms on our village greens, where no attention 

 is given to their care, are unhealthy and sadly in need of better 



