The Paradise Tree and the Ailanthus 



swept the cities. An effort was made to get rid of them. But 

 no such effort can be made unanimous. The caterpillar nuisance 

 was soon controlled by the birds. It was found that only stam- 

 inate trees are malodorous, and the blossoming period is soon 

 over. Pistillate trees can be guaranteed to planters by taking 

 cuttings for nursery stock from pistillate trees only. The ailanthus 

 is now rated at its real value. It is certainly a luxuriant tree 

 and especially adapted for city planting. The dead, stiff appear- 

 ance of the tree in winter is forgiven when spring sets the sap 

 astir once more. 



Ailanthus leaflets are plain margined except for a tooth or 

 two near the base. The long leaves resemble those of the sumachs. 

 The opening leaves and later the ripening fruit clusters exhibit 

 most beautiful variations of rich colour — pinks, reds and bronzes. 

 Somebody is sure to harbour a seedling tree whose pollen fertil- 

 ises the pistillate flowers of a whole neighbourhood. A fruiting 

 tree in late summer looks like a great hydrangea. 



The vigour of ailanthus seedlings is amazing. Suckers ten 

 feet high shoot up in one season. They appear in the most 

 unexpected places. The tilting rafts on which the seeds are 

 borne carry them with the wind, and lusty young trees come up in 

 crannies of city back yards, covering unsightly objects with their 

 graceful plumes of green. I have seen seedlings throw up leafy 

 shoots 8 feet long and an inch through, bearing leaves nearly a 

 yard long — all in one season. But these are youngsters, growing 

 in exceptionally rich soil. Such lusty growers are peculiarly 

 subject to accidents. The wind breaks off limbs, and the trunks 

 become riddled with decay. 



Short-lived as ailanthus trees are, they soon replace them- 

 selves. ThHr popularity is not likely to decline. The traveller 

 in Europe will fmd them in evidence in the parks and along the 

 boulevards of Paris and other cities. In Peking they are favourite 

 shade and ornamental trees, for the ailanthus is the Chinaman's 

 "Tree of Heaven." 



An effective use of the ailanthus is to plant a few seeds along 

 a fence or boundary line. Cut back the young trees to a few 

 feet high each spring, and a beautiful leafy screen will result. 



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