TREE PLANTING ON STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. 1 3 



the Locusts have suffered almost everywhere so much from the attacks of insect 

 borers that this liability should be well understood before planting them to any 

 great extent. 



Where rapid growth and great size is desired, the Sycamore, or Buttonwood, 

 may claim a place. Its lower branches are high above the ground, affording an open 

 space beneath the tree — which is often desirable when planted near a house — and 

 furnishing ample shade without obstructing the view of the street or road ; but 

 owing to its irregular, inferior habit and liability to fungal diseases, it should be 

 used sparingly in streets or parks, and only, where variety is desired. The European 

 Sycamore, or Oriental Plane, which resembles the American species closely, is 

 preferable in every respect, and can be obtained from any nursery. The Sycamore 

 is easily recognized by its peculiar bark, which falls off in flakes from the lower part 

 of the trunk, giving that portion of the tree a scabby, spotted appearance, while the 

 upper part of the trunk and the branches are smooth and of a creamy white. It is 

 known also by the " buttonballs " hanging from its branches, a dry, globular fruit 

 filled with seeds, and conspicuous in winter. Tree students, in their outdoor 

 studies, are always pleased to note the conical bud hidden under the base of each 

 leaf stalk and fitting so nicely into the cone-shaped recess in the petiole. It is an 

 interesting tree, and, as found in the lowlands of the Mississippi basin, is the largest 

 of all our deciduous species. The Thames Embankment Boulevard, a famous 

 avenue in London, is lined with Sycamores. 



Hitherto the American Chestnut has not been planted on our streets or roads i 

 but there is no good reason why it should not be given a place occasionally. It 

 grows very fast, attains a large size, is handsome in form and proportion, and fulfills 

 all the requirements of a first-class shade tree. The boys might prove troublesome 

 when the fruit is ripening; but that is all that can be said in objection, a difificulty 

 easily obviated by a little police work during the short time in which the burs are 

 opening. The Chestnut, too, is not without its claim to beauty. In July its 

 branches are covered with a profusion of cream colored catkins that attract the eye 

 and enable one to identify it then, even at a great distance. 



The White or Silver Maple is a favorite shade tree in both town and country, 

 surpassing all other species, except the Carolina Poplar, in rapidity of growth. It 

 bears transplanting as well as any other, withstands pruning, and is exceedingly 

 graceful. Its slender, pendant branches are easily swayed by the breeze, giving it 

 a waving, flowing appearance, that is made still more attractive by its silvery hue 

 when agitated by the wind, the under side of the leaves having a whitish color 

 which is then exposed to view. The deeply cleft shape of the leaves adds also to 



