243 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
The Planting' and Care of Street Trees. 
City Forester Charles A. Whittet, of Lowell, Mass., 
contributes the following to the last annual report of 
the park department of that city : 
In street planting care should be exercised to select 
species which, when fully grown, will be of a size 
suitable to the width of the street ; and in making a 
choice only such should be selected as are best adapted 
to the peculiar conditions which influence th^ir growth 
in cities. Some trees that can be safely used for road 
planting in the country are too susceptible to the de- 
leterious influences of the smoke, dust, gas, and pave- 
ment of our cities. 
In making a choice the first thing to be considered 
is the width of the street ; also, the width of the side- 
walk or nearness of the houses. Some trees, the Elm, 
for instance, will injure the foundation walls of a house 
by the pressure from its far-spreading roots. 
The following list includes all, or nearly all, the spe- 
cies which are desirable for street planting, most of 
which are quite common throughout New England. 
They are named in the order of their desirability, al- 
though in some instances their preferment is some- 
what a matter of taste. 
Wide Streets. 
American or White Elm 
Hard or Sugar Maple 
Tulip Tree 
Basswood (Linden) 
Horse Chestnut 
Sweet Gum 
Sycamore (Buttonball) 
White Ash 
Scarlet Oak 
Red Oak 
White Oak 
Honey Locust 
American Chestnut 
Narrow Streets. 
Norway Maple 
White or Silver Maple 
Red Maple 
Ailanthus 
Cucumber Tree 
Ginkgo 
Bay Willow 
Pin Oak 
Red Flowering Horse Chestnut 
Black or Yellow Locust 
Hackberry 
Hardy Catalpa (speciosa) 
Lombardy Poplar 
The Elm stands first on the list by right of its su- 
perior size, beauty, and adaptability to street planting. 
It is rapid in its growth, withstands transplanting and 
pruning better than most other kinds, and will grow on 
almost any soil. Its habit is such that any pruning of 
the lower limbs is seldom necessary, a valuable feature 
in a street tree. 
The Hard Maple or Sugar Maple is so well and 
favorably known as a shade tree that it is unnecessary 
to dwell upon its beauty and symmetrical proportions. 
It is seen at its best in village streets and along country 
roads, where the conditions are better suited to its full- 
est development. 
The Tulip Tree will compare favorably with the 
Hard Maple in height and beauty. It bears trans- 
planting well, grows rapidly, is very hardy, and is free 
from destructive insects. In the latter part of Alay 
it decks itself with terminal flowers of a dark, rich 
yellow, streaked with green and orange. 
The Basswood, or American Linden, commends it- 
self to the lover of trees, by its ample shade, fragrant 
flowers, and bright green foliage, which in spring con- 
trasts well with its dark-colored branches. 
The Horse Chestnut is the earliest of our trees. Be- 
fore the buds have opened on many of the others, and 
while the willows are showing only a “green mist” the 
Horse Chestnut unfolds its cunningly packed leaflets 
to the sun, a welcome sight to those who are waiting 
and watching for spring. Its large leaves aft’ord a 
shade more dense than that of any other tree. 
The Sweet Gum, or Liquidambar, so named from 
the fragrant balsam which exudes when the trunk is 
wounded, is an ornamental tree of about eighty feet 
in height and two feet in diameter, attaining in some 
localities a much greater size. It is a rapid grower, 
and thrives on almost any soil. 
Of the various species of Ash, the White Ash is the 
best adapted for ornament and shade. Its foliage is 
pleasing in appearance, growing in irregular, waving 
masses, but without any abrupt or broken outlines. Its 
freedom from disease and insects commends it to all 
tree planters. 
The Oak is a noble tree, its size and sturdy charac- 
