STREET TREES. 43 



and 12. The leaves are of unusual form, the upper half appearing 

 to have been cut away, leaving a notch about where it would seem 

 the middle of the leaf should be. Tlie color is a light green. The 

 roots are unusually soft and tender, and thcrcfoi-e the tree needs to 

 be transplanted quickly and with great care. Small sizes should be 

 planted, especially near the northern limits of growth. It should be 

 transplanted only in the spring. If after transplanting it the top 

 should die and a new vigorous shoot should put out from the root, it 

 would be desirable to form a new top from this shoot rather than to 

 transplant another tree. 



CULTURE OF STREET TREES. 



SELECTION OF INDIVIDUAL TREES. 



Nursery-grown trees should be used for street planting, and they 

 should have been transplanted at least every two years while in the 

 nm-sery. This is to insure a thorough root pruning and the produc- 

 tion of numerous fibrous roots close to the trunk. Trees not fre- 

 quently transplanted form a few long roots that are largely cut off 

 when the tree is dug. Trees growing in the woods form a few very 

 long roots, and when an attempt is made to dig them only a little of 

 the root next the trunk is obtained, while most of the roots, includ- 

 ing the fibrous ones, are left in the ground. If woodland trees are 

 wanted for street purposes, most kinds should be grown for a few 

 years in a nursery in order to form a good root system before being 

 planted on the streets. 



In addition to a good root system, the tree should have a straight 

 trmik for the variety, with a good set of branches, called the head, the 

 bottom branches being from 7 to 9 feet from the ground. Trees 

 which naturally head low should be started with a higher head than 

 those varieties that have a tendency to an upright growth. A good 

 head for a shade tree is a leader or upright branch with three or more 

 side branches about equally spaced around the tree. The trees 

 should be healthy, free from scars, and also free from evidences of 

 insects or diseases. In the presence of insects, trees should be thor- 

 oughly fumigated along approved methods before leaving nurseries, 

 to insure against the introduction and distribution of pests. Weak- 

 ened vitality resulting from transplanting and subsequent neglect 

 will frequently invite attack by bark-boring insects which seriously 

 damage or kiU the trees. Mulching and watering wiU often prevent 

 this damage. 



Opinion as to the size to plant differs somewhat, but for average 

 conditions trees from 10 to 12 feet high and with trunks or stems 

 from 2 to 2J inches in diameter ^ are very satisfactory in most 



1 Designated by nurserymen as "caliper." 



