STREET AND HIGHWAY PLANTING. 17 



CHAPTER III. 



TREES FOUND IN THE REGIONS VISITED. 



THE ACACIAS. 



Throughout the south Acacia BaUeyana is planted chiefly as an 

 ornamental tree. At the best it rarely exceeds twenty feet in height. 

 It is characterized by small but elegant pinnate foliage of a fine glau- 

 cous color, which contrasts well with the golden orange blooms which 

 appear in January and the purplish red seed-pods which mature later 

 in the season. 



The style of growth is "such that the tree appears at its best when 

 the lower branches are not trimmed away but lie upon the ground. 

 The branches grow in rather a loose fashion and unless some care is 

 given the trees will grow into unshapely specimens. Unfortunately, 

 this tree is not long lived and often begins to show its decline when from 

 ten to twenty years old. 



Acacia armata rarely becomes large enough to be classed as even a 

 small tree and is of so prickly a habit that it would not be desirable for 

 street use. For shrubbery and perhaps for roadside planting in dry 

 soil it might be used to advantage. 



Acacia decurrens dealbata (Plate 1, No. 1) is a fine species with pin- 

 nately compound foliage and a magnificent floral display in February 

 or thereabout. Unfortunately, unless care is given, the habit of the 

 tree will be bad. This is a tree which must be carefully selected among 

 the nursery specimens and cared for to induce a good trunk with erect 

 growing limbs. As the tree stands pruning very well, it is only a 

 matter of care and attention in the first five or six years of the tree's 

 life. 



The objection is sometimes raised that this tree is particularly liable 

 to raise the sidewalks. This is quite true z especially if it has been 

 planted on a parking that is two feet or less in width. It has been 

 demonstrated, however, that this tree can be root pruned in such a 

 fashion that this can be obviated.* In the experiments tried a young 

 tree was root pruned every year for three years at the same time that 

 the top was cut back. All the roots were cut off from the tap root for 

 as great a distance as three feet from the surface with no harm to the 

 tree. Of course when root pruning is resorted to the corresponding 

 pruning of the top must be heavier than it would be if nothing were 



*Mr. Ernest Braunton. 

 2 F 



