106 
phases that enter into all city work would 
be removed from the forester. He, of 
course, would work in harmony with the 
superintendent of parks. 
The forester should execute the details 
of the landscape architect’s designs. That 
is, he should see that the proper soil for 
the trees specified by the landscape archi- 
tect is furnished and that all conditions are 
made most satisfactory for the develop- 
ment of the trees and plants specified by 
the landscape architect for the formation 
of his composition. The forester should 
also be able to prepare planting plan de- 
tails to supplement the landscape archi- 
tect’s plan. That is, he should be able to 
work up the details that harmonize with 
the general scheme of the design. 
The office force should be as limited as 
possible so that the money appropriated 
shall go into actual care and maintenance 
of trees and not the creation of office posi- 
tions. In the field there should be working 
under the forester’s direction a sufficient 
number of arboriculturists to handle the 
different branches of the work of this de- 
partment. For instance, in Brooklyn, there 
is at the present time an arboriculturist for 
the parks and two for the streets of the 
city. These three arboriculturists in this 
case should be under the direction of the 
forester, who could coordinate and direct 
their work to bring about the maximum re- 
sults of their efforts. The arboriculturist 
should be a man filling his position through 
civil service examination and while his 
knowledge and experience are not neces- 
sarily as broad as that of the forester, it 
should, however, be along similar lines, so 
that the arboriculturist may work in har- 
mony with the forester and intelligently 
execute the details of his position. Under 
the arboriculturist would be the foreman 
and the workmen. It is a general custom 
to differentiate the work of the laborers. 
For instance, those who do pruning, which 
requires considerable amount of climbing, 
and those who carry on spraying, which re- 
quires some knowledge of spray materials 
and mixing. 
All literature, such as reports and bulle- 
tins, should be edited by the forester. The 
forester should also be able to give effec- 
tively instructional lectures regarding the 
work. One very important feature in con- 
nection with tree work in our cities is the 
education of the people not only as to the 
beauty but as to the benefits from planting 
of trees in a city. 
The functions of the bureau of tree cul- 
ture in the park commission will be : 
I. To serve as a connecting link be- 
tween the foresters of each borough, who 
should come together for periodical meet- 
ings, where broad questions that effect the 
general welfare of the trees of the city as 
a whole should be discussed. Features con- 
nected with the work of each man’s bor- 
ough could be discussed profitably and the 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
e.xperience of all the foresters could be 
brought to bear on the problems that come 
up in connection with the work in each 
forester’s department. 
II. A municipal nursery, which should 
be established probably on Long Island, 
where soil and location would be most ad- 
vantageous, should be under the control of 
the bureau as a whole. One municipal nur- 
sery could easily serve all the boroughs. 
This municipal nursery could be put in the 
charge of a trained arboriculturist with 
special experience in nursery work. A nur- 
sery of al)out 100 acres would serve the 
purpose of supplying trees for the forestry 
work of the entire city. The establishment 
of a municipal nursery is very essential, as 
it would mean ; 
( a ) Availability of material for the 
planting in every borouglj. 
(b) High quality of trees. 
(c) Trees for special purposes and 
places could be grown to advantage. 
(d) Cheapness of production. 
III. Special questions and pro1)lems, such 
as methods of planting trees on streets 
wholly paved or on old established streets 
where the only improvement which can be 
made will be by planting of trees. 
The initial cost of planting trees on city 
streets should be borne by the owners of 
property along that street, which is the 
same method used for other street im- 
provements. 'I'he care and maintenance of 
trees should be borne by the general ta.x. 
Trees planted after the bureau of tree cul- 
ture has been formed should be guaranteed 
for life as long as the street remains in 
condition to warrant growth of trees. Trees 
other than those planted after the bureau 
has been established and those that are in 
condition necessitating removal should be 
taken out at the expense of the property 
owner. Property owners should be respon- 
sible for injuries due to falling of trees, 
etc. When trees are removed for other 
reasons than their dangerous condition, for 
instance, killing of trees by gas, the tree 
being in a firm and safe condition for sev- 
eral years thereafter, a permit should be 
granted for the removal of the same upon 
the deposit of a sum sufficient to plant a 
new tree at or near the old location. This 
would mean that the gas company, for in- 
stance, would be responsible for the re- 
placement of a new live tree. There should, 
of course, be necessary legislative enact- 
ments to empower the bureau as a whole 
to perform its duties, as well as to em- 
power each forester to carry on his work. 
Sufficient sums of money should be appro- 
priated for this work which, however, is a 
matter for the city to decide. 
The value of a bureau of tree culture 
for New York City, with a trained fores- 
ter in each borough, would be : 
I. The placing of all matters pertaining 
to the vegetation of the city of Greater 
New York for the first time on a thor- 
oughly systematic and business-like basis. 
II. The transformation of the present 
unsatisfactory and expensive tree situation 
into one of economy and systematic beauti- 
fication. 
^ ^ * 
The photographs illustrating this article 
were taken during this study by H. R. 
Francis, assistant professor of landscape 
engineering at the New York State College 
of Forestry. 
One of the views shows some oriental 
sycamores on Vanderbilt avenue on Staten 
Island, New York City. These have been 
planted about twenty years. They require 
very little attention either in the matter of 
pruning or as a protection against attacks 
of the serious pests that prey on trees. 
Aside from the well distributed foliage in 
summer, which makes this tree desirable 
for shade purposes, the striking appearance 
presented by the tree during the winter 
with its white bark and its pendulous ball- 
shaped fruit, gives it additional value for 
city streets. 
Another view shows a street planted 
with trees of undesirable varieties, which 
are not uniform in size, in distance of spa- 
cing or in habits of growth. This is the 
result accompanying individual effort in 
street tree planting, where each property 
owner plants a tree without due considera- 
tion as to the value of a tree as a unit in 
the planting scheme of the street as a 
whole. 
Another picture shows an American elm 
tree planted as a street tree, where soil con- 
ditions are entirely adverse to the proper 
growing of this variety of tree. When 
the American elm is planted in a favorable 
environment, it is developed into one of 
the most desirable shade trees with an ex- 
cellent habit of growth and of a beautiful 
form. This tree does not adapt itself (or- 
dinarily) to the severe conditions found in 
streets where pavements cover the soil 
in which the roots are imbedded. The 
habit of growth under these conditions is 
usually very straggly and unsightly in ap- 
pearance. The tree lingers along and soon 
dies of root starvation. 
The root system of this tree requires 
considerable area immediately around the 
base of the tree to send out undisturbed its 
spreading roots near the surface of the 
soil. This protection may sometimes be 
furnished by surrounding the base of the 
tree with an iron grating. 
Our other picture shows an oriental syc- 
amore adapting itself to the severe condi- 
tions which a tree is subjected to when 
planted along a street where no grass space 
has been provided between the curb and 
the sidewalk. This tree is able to with- 
stand many adverse soil conditions and will 
make a good growth where many other va- 
rieties would fail. 
