30 



BULLETIN 816, V. S. DEPAKTMEISTT OE AGRICULTURE. 



age is easily broken by ordinary windstorms and causes it when 

 a comparatively young tree to become unsightly. The second is 

 its shallow rooting, which has a tendency to destroy pavements 

 and also makes it difficult to grow grass near the trees. The roots also 

 will grow into sewers. The third is the tendency to decay; the 

 tips of the limbs frequently die, leavmg the whole top of the tree 

 bare of leaves, and the wood decays quickly, especially if the bark 

 is broken. For this reason it does not stand pruning as well as most 

 other street trees, and it probably has been pruned more ruthlessly 



than any other tree, 

 unless it is the Caro- 

 lina poplar. It should 

 never be severely de- 

 headed or, as it is 

 popularly called, "de- 

 horned" (fig. 21), as 

 the stubs will practi- 

 cally never heal over, 

 and from these cuts 

 decay will start, which 

 in a very few years will 

 rot the center of the 

 limbs and trunk and 

 thus destroy the tree. 

 Although it forms a 

 large round head with 

 an open top and its 

 foliage is pale green 

 above and almost 

 white beneath, mak- 

 ing a very delight- 

 ful shade, on account 

 of its weaknesses it 

 should never be used 

 for street planting 

 where other trees can 

 be made to grow. 

 The sugar maple,^ or hard maple, is especially adapted to gravelly 

 soils in regions 1, 10, and 11, the northern parts of regions 2 and 3, 

 and the eastern and southern parts of region 9. It is oval headed, 

 large, and handsome, having red blossoms which individually are 

 inconspicuous but which in mass are showy early in the spring 

 before the leaves appear. The leaves come early, but in late sum- 

 mer they begin to turn brilhant yellow and red and drop before most 

 other leaves. The sugar maple does not thrive under city con- 

 ditions, but is admirably adapted to suburban conditions. 



1 Acer saccharum Marsh. 



PI2542H? 



Fig. 21. — Silver maples severely headed back, an improper way to 

 treat trees, especially silver maples, except under very unusual 

 conditions. Washington, D. C; midsummer. 



