Shade Trees for Streets and Parks 107 



Silver or White Maple (Acer saccharinum Linn.). 

 This species is irregular in outline, with a rather open, 

 straggling, spreading branch system with long, slender; often 

 pendant branchlets. The foliage is deeply cut, pale green 

 above and silvery white beneath, and when blown by a breeze 

 givrs the entire tree a silvery appearance. It grows rapidly 

 on good soil but unfortunately the long weak branches are 

 easily broken by the wind. Because of this fault the streets 

 are always strewn with branches 'after every storm. Decay 

 soon enters the stubs which are left, follows down the trunk 

 and then the tree presents an unsightly appearance. Where 

 other species can be secured, the Silver Maple should always 

 be avoided. 



The Poplars. 

 Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Marsh.). 



Planted very extensively in many cities because of its 

 rapid growth, this species possesses many characteristics 

 which make it undesirable for street planting. It develops a 

 long open crown which nurserymen recommend to be cut back 

 in order to cause the tree to spread. The result of this kind 

 of treatment is to have many stubs in a small crown while the 

 trunk has made normal growth. The wood is weak and brit- 

 tle, and in storms, many branches are broken off, disfiguring 

 the trees and becoming a source of danger. The roots grow- 

 ing near the surface often raise flagstones and concrete walks, 

 and push curb stones out of place. The roots will enter sewer 

 pif.es -md form a mass iof fibers closing the pipes. The stam- 

 inate flowers fall on the walks and cause them to become slip- 

 pery. The pistillate flowers open, spreading a white cottony 

 mass of seeds on the walks and some are blown by the wind 

 into the meshes of screens or stick to theclothing of passersby. 

 The leaves often begin to drop in June and during the entire 

 summer the street will be littered until they have all fallen 

 in autumn. 



Because of its many bad habits and few redeeming feat- 

 ures many cities have forbidden the planting of poplars and 

 have ordered the removal of those already pi mlcd. In Al- 

 bany, New York, an ordinance was passed in 1871 which pro- 

 vides that no person in that city shall plant or maintain a 



