38 The Rural Library. 



onslaught of all the destructive influences of a crowded street. 

 Where the subsoil is porous its roots penetrate to an extraordinary 

 depth, and thus find food enough under the closest pavements, and 

 moisture enough during the longest drouths. There is a place for 

 the ailanthus in every large city, and that ( if you give it no other ) is 

 the place where no other tree will thrive. 



Here and there we occasionally see a frontage or even a whole 

 block planted with trees wholly unsuited to a stony pavement. 

 Among these I venture to class white birch, magnolia, paulownia, 

 yellow locust, honey locust, sweet gum, sour gum, weeping beech or 

 willow, mulberry, cherry and all kinds of pines, spruces, and such like. 

 Some people are charmed with the novelty of the experiment, some 

 are struck by the audacity of the innovation, and some are shocked by 

 the foolishness of the freak. Comment on each example is as various 

 as the extremes of individual taste. " Did you see yonder avenue of 

 white birch ? What a beautiful border for a public street ! Such a 

 happy thought had a touch of inspiration !" "Ah, yes ! what a fancy 

 frill for a dirty pavement ! How can you bear to see the ' Lady of 

 the Woods ' degraded' to such ignoble use ? Her white robe all 

 frayed and soiled ! Her ' fragrant hair ' stained with soot and smell- 

 ing of the gutter! Away with such defilement of angelic purity!" 

 And so the talk goes on. You cannot please everybody. Follow your 

 own bent. 



So much has been said on so many kinds of trees that little space 

 is left for comment on their general culture and care. This must be 

 condensed into a few words on the importance of planting only young 

 trees of nursery growth, of providing ample supply of good soil, of 

 allowing sufficient space for the full growth of root and branch, of 

 watering thoroughly for years, and of guarding from damage at all 

 times. Americans despise "the day of small things. " This nat- 

 ional foible is always prominent in the selection of trees for street 

 for street planting. The general practice is to procure the largest 

 trees that can be obtained, and conveniently handled. If nursery- 

 men cannot or will not furnish them of suitable size, they are pro- 

 cured from the neighboring woods if possible. It is surprising and 

 mortifying to every experienced grower of trees to see each spring 

 the numerous wagons loads which countrymen bring in from swamps 



