4 The Rural Library. 



equally poor soil has been carted in on top. Paved streets have 

 gutters that carry oif the water, and the soil beneath is usually very 

 dry and hard. In the city there is also a great amount of dust, 

 smoke and soot, which is fatal to many trees, especially to evergreens. 

 The conditions which a tree meets in the city street are directly op- 

 posite to those of its natural habitat; therefore, it is not strange that 

 we see few large, healthy trees in the thickly settled streets of any 

 city of considerable size or age. Most of the large trees we do see 

 were planted when the city was a mere village, or they came up nat- 

 urally before the street was laid out. The roots have gone far and 

 deep in search of food and moisture, and became established before 

 the present conditions existed. Along country roads, in villages and 

 the suburbs of cities, where the streets are not paved, more of the 

 natural conditions are present, and dust is the only serious enemy 

 present. Thus a great vari ety of Jree s can be us ed in such places, 

 and better an'3more perfect specimens can be grown. On the lawn, 

 in parks or private grounds, the chief natural condition which does 

 not exist is the shade and protection of other trees that is found in 

 the forest. By plantin g in groups thj s_£an be partly afforded, but 

 most trees thrive by themselves after a year or two of slight protec- 

 tion. A m^eryj^ow n^tree is _hardier and will stand transplanting 

 to a position by itself better than a tree taken from the shade of its 

 native forest. Never buy trees that are brought into the villages in 

 wagon loads from the woods and peddled about the streets ; they are 

 usually poor investments. 



For shade purposes and nobleness of stature there is no tree in the 

 north which equals or excels the American elm. Its great hight 

 and spreading, drooping branches place it above all rivals, but the 

 elm-tree borer has become so serious in many sections in the east 

 as to almost exterminate it and forbid setting any more. The canker 

 worm and several caterpillars have also preyed on it, and it is such 

 a high tree as to be out of reach of most spray pumps. The elms 

 of Northampton and of Old Hadley, Mass., are famous for their 

 stateliness and grandeur, and one who has seen them cannot but be 

 impressed with their beauty and desirability for a street or shade tree 

 wherever they will grow. The maple is a great favorite, and is a 

 beautiful tree. It grows rapidly and symmetrically, casts a good shade 



