CHAPTER IV 

 STUDIES PRELIMINARY TO PLANTING 



Preliminary to planting, a survey of the street must 

 be made. This consists of an examination of the soil, the 

 noting of the width of the street and the sidewalks, the 

 height of the buildings bordering the street, the direction of 

 the street, and all the local conditions that enter into the 

 determination of the choice of species for the street. 



The Soil. — A great deal, if not all of the success in tree- 

 growing, depends upon the nature and the preparation of the 

 soil. An examination of the soil will show whether by its 

 nature, extent, and depth it is favorable or unfavorable to 

 tree-growth. It is very seldom that the soil existing along 

 city streets is good for planting. In grading streets and 

 avenues there is always more or less cutting down and fill- 

 ing up, and in either case the original surface soil is ren- 

 dered unavailable. It then becomes an absolute necessity to 

 make liberal provision of good soil for the future well-being 

 of the tree. 



By excavations or borings four or five feet deep, the 

 kind and depth of the soil and the nature of the subsoil 

 should be determined. In the planting of street-trees, 

 where the conditions are sometimes not alike for two suc- 

 cessive trees, it is indispensable to make a survey and keep 

 an exact record of the kind of soil where the trees are to be 

 planted, the nature of the adjoining soil and subsoil, the 



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