38 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
for shade and ornamental 
effect. For these great fel¬ 
lows, perhaps two or three 
or four hundred years old, 
are permanent. Long life has 
given them not only im¬ 
mense stature, but a wealth 
of associations as well. They 
are integral parts of their 
sites, as essential to the general 
scheme as the house, the background 
of hills, almost as the ground itself. 
We design our houses that they may 
endure, may increase in satisfying 
comfort as they grow old wtih us; 
let us so plan that our trees, too, shall 
be a worthy heritage to others. 
Photo by Brown Bros. 
A white oak that has groivn in the open 
is a . far shapelier tree than one whose de¬ 
velopment has been hindered by crowding 
companions 
W ITH more than mere sentimental 
fancy it has been said that trees 
are the most human of all rooted things. 
They have character, long life, individ¬ 
uality. Comfort is in their shade on a 
summer day, and to the call of the wind 
each answers with a different voice. We 
may not say that trees have souls or power 
of mind, but there is something in tree wor¬ 
ship, for all that. 
It is perhaps trite to cite the elms of New 
England or the oaks of Great Britain as 
embodying all that is best and most satis¬ 
fying in deciduous trees, but they are perfect 
examples of the principle which should 
underlie the great majority of tree planting 
Trees should not be planted too close to the 
house, else they will seriously interfere with 
the circulation of air during the summer 
Planting for Permanency 
It would seem to be obvious enough, 
this matter of planting for the future, 
and of a truth many a man attempts 
it in all good faith. Yet how often is 
partial or complete failure the result, 
for some reason which lack of knowl¬ 
edge or foresight failed to consider. 
Take, for example, the choice of 
varieties. It is a great temptation to 
set out the quickest growing sorts for 
the sake of their relatively speedy re¬ 
sults. But, with few exceptions, the 
rapid growing trees have weak wood. 
For 60' to 70', perhaps, they shoot 
up splendidly, lifting and spreading long 
limbs and casting shadows far across the 
lawn. Then, when they have reached their 
prime and are beautiful for all to see, 
comes a summer gale which in five minutes 
leaves them but wrecks of their former 
selves. Slender branches, graceful and 
perfect in outline but brittle at heart, 
are ripped off and tossed a dozen yards 
away. Crowns are shattered, trunks 
split, beauty and symmetry forever de¬ 
stroyed. A strong and certain growth 
is essential to the tree which shall with¬ 
stand the winds, and, except in a few 
species, this is not characteristic of the 
rapid growing varieties. 
But all this is destructive rather than 
constructive. Let us therefore con¬ 
sider some of the best of those decidu¬ 
ous species which are at once sturdy, 
permanent and good to look upon. 
In their fulfillment of at least the 
first of these requirements the oaks 
are proverbial. Several species, too, 
are well adapted to lawn planting, 
among them the red, the white and the 
pin oaks. The first mentioned is espe¬ 
cially good, as it is practically proof 
against the attacks of insects and dis¬ 
ease, besides being well shaped. 
When considering any of the family 
as possibilities for the home grounds, 
it is well not to judge them by speci¬ 
mens seen growing in the woods. 
Forest trees as a rule are less spreading 
and have higher set branches than 
those which develop in the open, and 
may be more or less uneven through 
the crowding of other specimens about 
Photo by Brown Bros. 
The horse-chestnut is not only a well formed, 
symmetrical tree, but an especially beautiful 
one ivhen covered with handsome flower 
spires 
them. The oaks as a family cannot be suc¬ 
cessfully transplanted after they are seven 
or eight years old. Seedlings under that 
age should be taken up without harming 
their long tap roots, or, if you prefer, it is 
a simple matter to grow as many as you 
want from selected acorns. 
The Best Maples 
Perhaps the most popular ornamental 
trees, at least in the Eastern States, are the 
maples. From the numerous members of 
the family so used three stand out as being 
especially desirable: the Norway, the red 
or swamp, and the sugar maple. 
The first of these is the dense, round 
headed tree with broad leaves that turn 
clear yellow before falling, which forms 
such superb avenues in some of our subur¬ 
ban towns. No sight in the tree world is 
more beautiful than a perfect Norway maple 
in October, and when we learn that it is 
one of the few exceptions to the rule that 
quick growers are weak, its desirability as 
a home grounds tree is still further en¬ 
hanced. There is a red leaved variety, too, 
which is sometimes used in combination 
with the yellow and makes a good con¬ 
trast where two colors are desired. 
The true red maple is indeed well named. 
Beginning with its red blossoms in spring, 
the color scheme is repeated in the scarlet 
autumn leaves and, after they have fallen, 
in the red twigs which hold their tint through 
the winter. It is desirable in every way, a 
spreading, symmetrical tree from 50' to 100' 
high, with a head of slender, erect branches. 
The bark is a dark grey, somewhat flaky, 
and the limbs pale by contrast. 
