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Good Buildings, but Lacking in the Shade and Adornment of Trees. 



THE PLANTING OF TREES. 



As one of the larger features of the landscape, the location and 

 number of trees are of special importance. In selecting kinds 

 the size of tree at maturity should be considered. The white elm, 

 for example, may attain a spread of one hundred feet, while the 

 green ash or white birch will hardly exceed one-fourth of that. 

 Do not overplant the lawn. By filling up the front yard the land- 

 scape effect is not only destroyed but the buildings are obscured 

 or entirely hidden. From the sanitary point of view this is also 

 undesirable for it encourages dampness. Keep the trees back far 

 enough to permit a free circulation of air and plenty of sunshine. 

 Overshading is bad for a building and under these conditions the 

 shingles decay quickly. As a protection against the afternoon 

 sun, a shade tree or two to the southwest of the house is desirable. 



In general, plant along the sides to border or frame in the 

 picture. In this way a vista is formed with the house as the 

 central feature. Most people err in getting things into the wrong 

 location rather than in the selection of varieties to plant. Keep 

 an open front. Immediately in front of the house there is noth- 

 ing so appropriate as a well-kept stretch of greensward. Keep 

 the tree planting mostly along the sides and in placing them 

 avoid a stiff, mechanical arrangement. If an evergreen is lo- 

 cated so many feet from the walk on one side, do not place an- 

 other one at a corresponding distance on the other side. Avoid a 

 stiff checker board plan and plant the trees more in clumps, se- 

 curing the effect of a curve rather than a straight line, so that the 

 whole will be as natural as possible. A limited number of tall 

 trees to the rear of the house is useful for a background and the 



