290 YAED AND GARDEN 



experts is sixty feet, but in the case of the 

 kxrge growers, like the ehus and soft maples, 

 seventy-five feet wonld probably be better. It 

 is usually found, however, that the distance is 

 much less, each owner of a small lot planting 

 two or three trees in the immediate front of 

 his own home without regard to the proximity 

 of neighboring trees. This is very likely to 

 continue the case until municipal governments 

 realize not only the advantages but the neces- 

 sity of taking in hand the street planting as 

 they have the control, the management and the 

 ornamental planting of the public parks. 



TREE-DESTROYERS 



Trees planted in cities are established under 

 artificial conditions and, in the care bestowed 

 upon them, this fact must not be overlooked. 

 A specimen growing in the open field, under 

 normal conditions, will in most instances take 

 care of itself; it requires no pruning — it 

 prunes itself — and, in other respects, it thrives 

 best, probably, when left to its own devices. 

 But the same tree transplanted to a city site is 

 introduced to abnormal conditions ; the atmos- 

 phere is smothery with smoke, buildings crowd 

 it, electric light wires burn it, leaking gas suf- 



