20 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



August, 1910 



dense, spreading head and deep root system, 

 and would do better were it not for the 

 smoky atmosphere and clay soil. 



White ash {Fraxinus A mericana). Suit- 

 able for streets of medium width ; plant forty 

 feet apart; grows rapidly; will thrive in 

 rather poor soil; becomes straggly, drops its 

 leaves badly during the summer, is attacked 

 by borers and scale insects, and lacks grace 

 of form during the winter. 



American and oriental sycamores (P/a^ 

 arms occidentalis and orientalis). Beautiful, 

 majestic street trees. The American is the 

 taller, and the Oriental the broader. Both are 

 rugged in appearance, and especially suitable 

 along broad avenue. The Oriental is the 

 better for smoky localities, but is not hardy 

 in the Middle West. It is difficult to dis- 

 tinguish between the two when young. 



American and European lindens {Tilia 

 Americana and platy phyllos) . Both stately 

 trees, growing rapidly and forming round 

 heads of dense foliage. The American has 

 the larger leaves. Should be planted forty 

 feet apart; it is seriously affected by cater- 

 pillars. The European is a slow grower and 

 unreliable. 



Pin oak {Quercus palustris) . Rapidly com- 

 ing into popularity. Suitable for streets of 

 medium width; should be planted forty feet 

 apart. Grows slowly at first. 



Red oak {Quercus rubra) . Durable, beau- 

 tiful native trees, beset by few enemies; plant 

 forty feet apart. Grows faster than any other 

 street trees. Deserves wide planting. 



Honey locust {Gleditschia triacanthos). 

 Fine street tree of rapid growth, suitable for 

 a narrow street, and can be planted thirty-five 

 to forty feet apart; forms graceful, rather 

 loose head, with delicate pinnate foliage. 

 Vigorous; grows in almost any soil. 



Ailanthus {AilantliMS glandulosa) . Flour- 

 ishes in most barren soil and amid the 



worst smoke and dust. On sand it becomes 

 a tree, but on clay it remains a shrub. Try 

 this where nothing else will grow. Root 

 suckers must be kept down. Plant only 

 the seed-bearing form. 



Hackberry {Celtis occidentalis). Looks 

 like the elm; very shapely, grows rather 

 rapidly and will flourish even on rocky 

 ground. Plant forty feet apart on streets 

 of medium width. Subject to borers and 

 fungous diseases. 



Western catalpa (Catalpa speciosa). 

 Suitable for narrow streets, planted thirty feet 

 apart. Has proved a very good tree for the 

 poorer districts; grows quickly and has a 

 picturesque, spreading head; large foliage 

 and beautiful flowers. 



Horse chestnut {Aiscidus Hippocas- 

 tanum). Not a long-lived tree and is badly 

 infested with leaf-eating insects and mildew; 

 loses its foliage early; has showy flowers, 

 but is always littering the ground. 



Poplars. Should be planted thirty feet 

 apart and confined to narrow streets in 

 locaUties where soil and atmospheric con- 

 ditions are poor; serve best when planted 

 for temporary effect with the view of remov- 

 ing them later; poplars give streets a look of 

 cheapness. 



Willows, coTTONVi^ooDS, and box elders 

 are planted frequently, but are altogether 

 undesirable as street trees. The wood is 

 tender, the twigs die readily, the leaves fall 

 early, and all are very subject to insect pests. 



A few points to be observed in planting 

 trees in city streets are: 



1. Trees are best when nursery- grown. 



2. Nothing larger than seedlings should be 

 transplanted from the woods. 



3. A tree two inches in diameter, meas- 

 ured one foot from the ground, is large, 

 enough. 



4. Trees should have a compact root sys- 



tem, straight main trunk, and well-balanced 

 top. 



5. The lower branches should be trimmed 

 to a height of seven feet from the ground. 



6. Trees should be free from fungous and 

 insect diseases. 



7. The holes should be larger than actually 

 required to accommodate the root system. 



8. Plant with as large root system as 

 possible. 



9. Prevent drying, sunburn, or freezing 

 the tree of the exposed roots. 



ID. Plant at the same depth and with the 

 same exposure as the tree formerly had. 



11. Trim off all torn and broken roots 

 before planting. 



12. Plant no trees closer together than 

 twenty-five feet. 



13. Arrange the roots to spread naturally 

 in loose soil. 



14. Tamp the soil well about the roots. 



15. Water the young trees freely, especially 

 during June, July, and August. Give one 

 or two thorough soakings each week. 



16. Keep the soil around young trees well 

 cultivated. 



17. A serviceable and strong tree- guard 

 should be placed around each tree. 



I have found the planting of trees and 

 shrubbery has added greatly to the value and 

 selling quality of property. Buildings which, 

 without trees and shrubbery, were a drug on 

 the market have found ready buyers as soon as 

 the vegetation developed. Trees and shrub- 

 bery also increase the renting value of prop- 

 erty, and many landlords have told me that 

 they would do extensive planting next season. 



On one avenue six hundred trees and 

 twelve hundred shrubs were planted under 

 city supervision, at a cost of $1,000. Similar 

 work is developing in other streets. Hun- 

 dreds of smaller plantings have been made 

 from plans furnished by this office. 



Country Flowers for City Folks - By Katherine Paul, 



New 

 York 



AN ORGANIZED SYSTEM OF COLLECTING THE SURPLUS PRODUCTS OF COUNTRY GARDENS AND DISTRIB- 

 UTING THEM TO THE CITY TENEMENTS AND HOSPITALS — MAKING GARDENS IN UNLIKELY QUARTERS 



CEVENTEEN years ago a lady was 

 ^ visiting a country estate just outside 

 New York City. The unintentional (and un- 

 avoidable) waste on 

 the place impressed 

 her strongly, and, 

 upon talking the 

 matter over with 

 other women, she 

 found an eagerness 

 to cooperate in any 

 plan by which this 

 surplus could be used 

 to meet the equally 

 pitiful necessity of 

 the near-by city. Six 

 of the leading express 

 companies of the 

 United States agreed 

 to transport free any 

 package containing 



flowers, fruit, plants, or vegetables, not 

 weighing more than 20 pounds, for a dis- 

 tance not exceeding 100 miles from its 



Growing plants are used for a hospital roof-garden 



starting point; and a special label, indorsed 

 by the respective presidents of these express 

 companies, was issued. This magical label 

 has, in its seventeen 

 years of existence, 

 carried five million 

 bunches of flowers 

 and many thousand 

 bushels of fruit and 

 vegetables to the 

 poor of the great 

 cities. Need you ask, 

 "Is it worth while?" 

 No matter whether 

 your city is on the 

 Pacific coast, or on 

 the border of the 

 Great Lakes, or in 

 the Eastern States, 

 the big yellow paster 

 will carry, free of 



. .-riim-'is^ffii'if^ 



S-!« 



