PLANTING AND CARE OF TREES 69 



bIiow lip at their best they must have plenty of room for develop- 

 ment. 



In the selection of species for roadside planting it is well to 

 avoid forms that are especially susceptible to injury from insects 

 and diseases. The Elm in many respects is admirably suited to 

 roadside planting, but on account of its susceptibility to injury 

 from the leaf beetle it is not generally recommended. x4t the 

 present time it would be unwise to plant the common Chestnut 

 in the northeastern states on account of the prevalence of the 

 chestnut bark disease, for which no remedy has yet been devised. 



Those who have traveled through the Niagara district of 

 Ontario or the Annapolis valley in Xova Scotia have been surprised 

 at the splendid effects obtained from the planting of fruit trees 

 along the roadside. There is great economy in this practice, but 

 fruit trees as commercially grown do not offer sufficient protection 

 from sun and wind. The sweet cherry is probably one of the 

 best kinds of fruit trees for this purpose. It is a large-growing 

 tree and is useful in attracting the birds. Farmers can w^ll 

 afford to grow some fruit especially for this purpose. The birds, 

 in rendering useful service, more than pay for the fruit they eat. 

 In some sections of Europe the municipal authorities are accus- 

 tomed to plant fruit trees along the public highways for the sake 

 of ornament and economy. The common custom being to offer 

 the fruit for sale on the trees and to sell it to the highest bidder. 

 In many cases the revenue from the sale of fruit is sufficient to 

 i^ay for the work expended on the road. 



The custom when planting trees on country roadsides, is to 

 plant in straight rows. Uniformity of arrangement is not so 

 important for country roads as for city streets, and it is possible 

 with certain species to produce an effect so formal that it will not be 

 in keeping with the natural surroundings. The important point 

 is to avoid in country plantings everything of an artificial nature. 



On narrow roads it is advisable to set the trees very near the 

 fence, but on roads that are forty feet or more in width, they may 

 better be set about six or eight feet from the highway limits. This 

 will allow for a sidewalk on the outer side of the rows of trees. If 

 the farmer is planting the trees at his own expense it is usually 

 advisable to set them on his own land, probably four or five 

 feet from the fence, except where the road is very wide. The 



