230 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
were, nevertheless, much hindered. In streets 
where there was much traffic during the day and 
tlic fire hydrants were between ruts or electric car 
tracks we were compelled to do the watering by 
very expensive night work. 
by the use of our own valves we were enabled 
to do the watering with one man during the con- 
gested periods of traffic and the laborer can man- 
ipulate two and even four systems at the same 
time. These he allows to run for one or two 
hours and in the meantime cultivate the basin 
around each tree with a digging fork. If the 
winter has been dry we begin to water the street 
trees as early as March and continue until autumn, 
hour men suffice to supply water to each system 
two to three or four to five times according to the 
rccpiirements of the sort of tree and its location. 
Gardeners and laborers acquire the knowledge of 
determining by sight those trees which require 
water at a given time. The Horse Chestnuts in 
the center of the city are the first to be watered, so 
that they will not, as in former years, begin to lose 
their leaves as early as June and July. Thereafter 
we start on the Linden, then Oaks, thereafter 
Maples I Acer platinoides first), etc. The trees 
indigenous to southern localities, such as Gymno- 
cladus, Sophoras, Gleditschias and Ailanthus re- 
tpairc no watering or at most only during their 
earlier growth and then only during unusually dry 
periods or in dry soils, according to their location. 
There is a particular advantage in this system 
for w'atering on sloping streets. By the former 
method, /. r. , watering from above, it was difficult 
to retain a horizontal basin around the tree. It 
necessitated excavating the foot path to a great 
depth at the upper end of the basin and throw- 
ing up a dam on the lower side of the basin. 
h'igure 2 shows a tree plantation on a slope. 
At the inlet the pipes descend to a depth sufficient 
to allow but a slight grade for flow. Beyond each 
tree the proper grade is proxided by an elbow 
leading down. The system is to always follow the 
general grade of the street. 
Obstructions encountered can be passed by 
scaling or tunneling, but the pipes must be ce- 
mented. Concrete drive entrances are to be 
avoided as much as possible. In cases where they 
must be passed, lead pipes should be used because 
they are less brittle and less easily affected by 
heavy stones in the drive sinking under the weight 
of wagons. 
We have now provided for particular trees and 
stretches of planted areas wdiere less traffic takes 
place by using earthenware stoppers instead of the 
expensive fillcaps 1 I'ig. 6) and aircaps (I’ig. 5). 
To avoid the use of the latter w'e prefer to make the 
stretches shorter and increase the filling stations. 
We hope that this experience will be approved 
by experiment when it can be adopted, /. r , where 
the earthen stoppers are located in gravel paths 
where they and the pipes or the pipe-openings w ill 
not be injured. 
In Dresden we have about 230,000 lineal feet 
of irrigating pipe and of the 30,000 trees, 9,737, 
on one hundred streets, are irrigated. 
The price of onebocm. ( about 2 feet) long earth- 
en pipe is 6 pf., ( ij^c.); one collar, 2 pf., ( J^c.); 
one elbow, 8 pf., ( 2c ) ; one “T ' or “ Y, ” i S pf.; 
(3.\4'c.); one iron “fill cap,” 3 m., 10 pf., (77j4c.j; 
one air cap, 90 pf. , ( 22 j/^c. ) 
Lastly, it is necessary to allow for an air-valve 
at the end of each section to prevent back pressure 
of air in the pipe, otherwise the even flowage 
of the water will be prevented. 
We provide subterranean irrigation to young 
trees for the first time five to ten years after they 
are planted because until then, w-ater applied to the 
surface suffices. The trees thrive better in partial 
dryness because we have here no more so-called 
“tree-hole” planting. Our custom is to provide a 
channel i m. (about 3 feet) deep, with prepared 
loam. We provide what is, in fact, a bed, and the 
trees which are of, so far as we can purchase, uni- 
form size, prosper uniformly and healthily. 
The care of street trees would be for discussion 
in a second article. I have gathered varied ex- 
periences which older colleagues confirm as being 
correct but which deserve to be hailed as w'elcoine 
guides for the younger colleagues, also concerning 
the best sorts for planting and the advantages of 
special forms cultivated upon which an expression 
would be desirable. 
After a recently completed tour during which I 
could compare the tree plantings in many cities cf 
England as also of Paris, I noticed the dearth of 
good street trees and the deficiency of w'atering 
and this even in Paris, which heretofore w'orked 
exemplarily. Though subterranean irrigation ex- 
isted in Paris I had not in 1867 nor in 1869, nor 
in 1889 discovered the system employed. I should 
be pleased to hear from a colleague concerning it. 
The solution of the question as to suitable 
watering of street trees is of great importance be- 
cause in a city nothing is of greater ornament than 
good, thrifty street plantings. E. M. 
* * * 
The above article is timely and suggestive from 
the fact that the number of street trees being 
planted in this country is increasing enormously 
each j ear. To make a success of street tree plant- 
ing, and to secure proper results, cniy those of 
experience should be intrusted with the woik. 
