The: Shade: Trees oe Denver. 
13 
THE BIRCHES. 
(Betula sp.) 
Among the birches are found some of our most graceful ornamental 
trees. As a group they are characterized by their slender branches and 
small open foliage while the bark in many species is smooth and possessed 
of some characteristic color. The wood of the larger kinds is much used 
hi the manufacture of small wooden articles, while the curly grained indi¬ 
viduals furnish valuable lumber for cabinet work. 
The black birch (Betula occidentalis) is the principal native tree of 
this group in Colorado. It is a rather small tree, sometimes reaching a 
height of twenty to thirty feet, with bark of a bronze color. It is seldom 
planted, but is capable of being used to lend variety to ornamental tree 
plantings. 
The European white birch (Betula alba) is a native of Europe, but has 
been extensively used in America as an ornamental tree, where it is be¬ 
coming naturalized. It is a slender, graceful tree, reaching a height of 
thirty to forty feet. Its most noticeable feature is the chalk white color of 
the bark, on the trunks and older branches, which makes it a striking tree 
especially in the winter when planted in front of a group of evergreens. 
It is much used on this account for parks and public as well as private 
grounds. 
The cut-leaved weeping variety of the white birch is the embodiment 
of delicate, airy grace and is largely used in the place of the species 
especially where daintiness and contrast are desired. It sometimes reaches 
a good size in favorable locations where moisture is unfailing, but it is not 
a longlived tree. In spite of this fact, however, it is one of the desirable 
ornamental trees for lawns and parks. 
The birches may be grown from seeds sown in autumn or stratified 
over winter. The ornamental varieties are increased by budding and grafting 
on the parent species. 
SYCAMORE, PLANE TREE. 
(Platanus Occidentalis L.) 
The sycamore occurs principally along streams and river bottoms in 
the Middle States and often grows to a very large size. In form the tree 
considerably resembles the cottonwood, but the branches are usually more 
spreading and crooked than in that species. On the branches and young- 
trunks the bark is smooth and of a greenish white color, but is partly 
obscured on the old trunks and large limbs by patches of dark gray 
outer bark. Thus the sycamore presents a rather striking appearance 
when set off against a background of dark foliage. The leaves of this tree 
are large with several pointed lobes and a light green color, making it 
a suitable tree for securing a variety of foliage effects, especially where 
dense shade is not desired. The sycamore is sometimes known by the 
name of button-ball tree, from the fact that the small, seed-like fruits 
grow in dense globular heads about the size of a walnut and these hang 
on the tree over winter. 
The wood of this tree is fine grained, hard and splits with difficulty. 
It possesses a handsome silver grain when quarter sawed and is used to some 
extent for interior finishing and for articles of furniture. 
While the sycamore has been but little used in the Western States 
it is a desirable tree for streets and parks and will evidently thrive where 
planted in good soil and supplied with water. It is propagated by means 
of the seeds, which may be sown in spring in a seed bed. 
THE HORSE CHESTNUT. 
{Aesculus hippocastanum L.) 
This tree is characterized by its rounded top of dense foliage, each 
leaf being composed of five to seven leaflets of large size which spring 
