+ 
because of the white hairy underside of the leaves; gen- 
erally a small tree and can be grown in the St. Louis ter- 
ritory The Silver Maple (A. Sacc? arinum) is widely dis- 
tributed over the country. It ordinarily grows along the 
water courses," but the ease with which it can be trans- 
planted, the speed with which it reestablishes itself, 
the rapid growth rate, have made it one of the most popu- 
lar street trees. In cities where "tree butchery" is 
practised, it is a special favorite. It fits in with 
such a program because it will tolerate "topping or pol- 
larding." A few varieties are available; one with deep 
ly cut leaves, a pyramidal type, and a weeping type. 
Little need be said about the advantages of using the 
Silver Maple without also listing its chief disadvantage 
-the branches will break in strong winds and under a 
load of sleet„ Extremely large specimens can be found in 
river valleys, but as a lawn specimen or street tree, tne 
life span is shorter and the size generally reduced. Box 
Elder (A. Neaundo) has been widely planted in the Great 
Plains for shelter belt work. Under these conditions, it 
does not grow very rapidly, but is drought-resistant, an 
sheds all its leaves if dry weather continues. It is 
hardly worth the room in our gardens and would ^^ '!'°^.^ 
unsatisfactory on the streets. A number of varieties 
listed but seldom obtainable irom nurseries. On the 
whole, neither the species nor the varieties are 
satisfactory. 
MULBERRY 
Some form of Mulberry (l^orus) should be mcluded^m 
every border planting because of its attractivenes ^ 
birds. Only one species is large enough to be "^ea ^^ 
shade tree. This is the Red Mulberry, (M, ^^^''y'''l^ 
of the eastern half of the country. The large ir 
which are eaten by all animals and birds would make i^ 
objectionable as a street tree, and partly so lor ^^^^^^^ 
use. When allowed to grow as a specimen, it *J- ^^_ 
a trunk over two feet in diameter, reaching a ^^^^ 
ceeding thirty feet, with a wide-spreading crown ^^ 
shades out all competition. The tree grows very r y^_ 
which is a decided advantage, but the le^^^^.f^,,,^^.- 
ite food of all caterpillars. This i-«^ns its an 
tiveness as a lawn tree. 
17 
