August, i p i 6 
39 
Courtesy Stark Bros. 
The sugar maple is perhaps the best of all its 
popular family. In autumn it glows with a 
wonderful harmony of yellow, red and orange 
the year, the sugar maple reaches its great¬ 
est glory in the autumn, when it glows with 
a wonderful harmony of yellow, red and 
orange. Whether planted singly or in 
groups, it is worthy of the best traditions 
and ambitions of the tree lover. 
Elms, Tulips and Others 
The American elm, a splendid tree in 
localities where the destructive beetle which 
feeds on its leaves is under control, is too 
well known to need description. Its vase¬ 
shaped outline is at once graceful and strong, 
and especially effective at a distance. In 
the New England States it is a feature of 
the landscape which can never be forgotten. 
The European linden, too, is a tree which 
should not be overlooked. At times it at¬ 
tains a height of nearly 100', and its sturdi¬ 
ness and shape endear it to every real tree 
lover. It is one of the rapid growers which 
are well adapted to permanent planting. 
We come now to a tree which is excellent 
alike for shape and bloom, the common but 
too seldom seen horse-chestnut. One of 
the photographs tells the story of its appear¬ 
ance better than could words. Remember, 
in looking at the picture, that the terminal 
•spikes of flowers are cream colored and 
•come out with the leaves. It, of course, 
has no value as a nut tree, for its large 
fruits, ripening late in the summer, are in¬ 
edible although very handsome. 
There are several good species besides 
those already described, but I am going to 
conclude this short list with one which 
seems, personally, to be the best of all. It 
iis the tulip tree or yellow poplar, and if 
Trees should shade the ground 
around a house rather than the house 
itself. Too often this fact is over¬ 
looked, and we find the branches so 
closely crowding about and above the 
building that free circulation of air 
in summer is seriously impeded. If 
you consider a moment you will realize 
that a house which is itself densely 
shaded but surrounded at a distance 
of a few yards by an expanse of sunny 
and superheated ground will be less 
cool than one which, while the sun 
may strike it directly, is encompassed 
with a ring of shaded, cool air which has 
a chance to circulate and penetrate through 
the open doors and windows. 
From the landscaping as well as the on¬ 
looker’s standpoint, the cpiantities of 
sunshine and shadow in any tree plant¬ 
ing on the grounds should balance. 
Nor does this refer merely to the actual 
shade area created by the trees—their 
own habit of growth has no small 
effect upon it. From a distance an 
elm or a white birch, for example, 
gives less of an impression of shadow 
than does a horse-chestnut or a Euro¬ 
pean linden, simply because more 
light passes through the interstices of 
its limbs and foliage. 
It is a mistake to plant a great va¬ 
riety of trees, lest the effect be too 
hodge-podge. Out of ten specimens, 
perhaps six should be of one species, 
three of another, and one of a third. 
As a general rule they will look best 
when irregularly grouped instead of 
being spotted around like the dots on 
milady’s veil. Exceptions to this plan 
are found in the case of those too 
rarely seen perfect specimens which, 
like the elm, the European linden and 
a few others illustrating this article, 
are so superb as to dominate all the 
surroundings by their very magnifi¬ 
cence of form and stature. But wher¬ 
ever and whatever your trees may be, 
remember that permanence should be 
one of their greatest charms. 
Speaking generally, there are two 
sources from which your trees may be 
Courtesy Davey Tree Expert Company 
A hundred-foot European linden like this con¬ 
vinces one that tree worship is not all senti¬ 
mental fancy or idle imagining 
obtained, the nurseryman and Nature. 
Young stock from the former is apt to be 
of better shape and more easily transplanted 
than the wild specimens, for it has had bet¬ 
ter care and enjoys the advantage of being 
taken up and prepared for shipment by 
professionals who thoroughly understand 
their business. On the other hand, trees 
of larger size and consequently more speedy 
effectiveness may be obtained from their 
wild sites. If care is taken to select care¬ 
fully those specimens which are of well¬ 
shaped, healthy growth, the results from 
“natural” trees are often excellent. 
Courtesy Stark Bros. 
The American elm is at once graceful , strong 
and effective in appearance. It is a memora¬ 
ble feature of the New England landscape 
The Theory of Arrangement 
But the finest of all the family, in the 
opinion of many, is the sugar maple, the 
sort whose sap is so eagerly gathered for 
boiling down to syrup and sugar. It is a 
tree of superb form and stature, sometimes 
reaching a height of over 100', compact and 
symmetrical with its many upright limbs 
forming an oval head which spreads some¬ 
what with old age. Beautiful throughout 
ever anything merited the adjective stately, 
that thing is here. A trunk straight as a 
mast and sometimes 200' from root to 
crown; short branches forming a regular, 
conical head and in early summer bearing 
greenish yellow, tulip-like flowers; lobed 
leaves 5" or 6” long and broad, dark green 
above and paler beneath, which change to 
clear yellow in autumn—these are a few 
of the characteristics which the tulip 
tree possesses. It has been said that 
the wood is brittle, but I have never 
seen any indications of this in grow¬ 
ing specimens. I know of several 
which have successfully withstood 
gales which wrecked maples, chest¬ 
nuts and even spruces growing near 
by, and this in summer when the 
foliage adds immeasurably to the 
strain put upon the branches by the 
rush of the wind. 
So much for the choice of such 
species as will do their full part in 
making your place of the future a 
spot of tree beauty and lasting charm. 
Now just a few lines on the theory 
and practice of their arrangement. 
