THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
29 
A PLEA FOR THE FOREST TREE. 
Its superiority for street ornamentation—Its prepara¬ 
tion A SOURCK OP GREAT REVENUE TO NURSERYMEN— 
Planters must he educated as to its value—Sugges¬ 
tions AS TO VARIETIES—Notable examples of what may 
BE ACCOMPLISHED. 
In reply to the question “What are the best kinds 
of trees for streets ?” I will mention first, the Tulip 
tree as standing at the head of all our native trees, not 
only as an ornamental but as a clean tree. 
The prevailing characteristics of all street trees 
should be, first, stateliness; second, cleanliness; that is, 
freedom from insects; third, vigorous growth; fourth, 
attractive foliage; all of which the Tulip tree possesses 
in an eminent degree. The next best tree that I now 
mention is the Magnolia Acuminata or Cucumber tree, 
which possesses all the good qualities of the Tulip tree. 
Why these noble trees have been neglected so much by 
planters would seem strange were it not for the fact that 
unless they are taken when young and transplanted two 
or three times, planters in general do not succeed with 
them as well as they do with more fibrous rooted trees 
like Maples and Elms which are considered standard 
trees for streets; but there is no comparison between 
them for stateliness and cleanliness, and I pre¬ 
dict that the nurseryman who would take in hand the 
preparation of trees for street planting would not only 
find plenty of custom for his superior trees but he would 
get double and treble the prices that are now asked for 
the ordinary ones. The price of a tree cannot always 
be estimated by its size, especially in this case, for it is 
quality that rules, and if more attention were paid to 
the raising of suitable trees for avenue planting we should 
have a better display of our native trees. This, how¬ 
ever, is a subject that requires a great deal of forethought 
on the part of the amateur planter, and the advice of 
the nurseryman is usually sought. A nurseryman’s bus¬ 
iness is to raise trees and sell them in the best market, 
and those that grow quickly and with the least trouble are 
generally the most profitable and such as are sometimes 
recommended; but they are not usually the ones that 
give most satisfaction to the planter. As long as people 
ask for those trees the nurserymen will furnish them. 
But as amateur planters come to understand the subject 
better, the nature of trees and their adaptation to the 
purposes required, there will be a better understanding 
between the buyer and the nurseryman and a demand 
will be created for certain trees that the nurseryman 
must supply. Suppose a man has some property to 
develop by opening new streets in a town or city which 
he desires to plant with trees and having but little 
knowledge himself of the subject, instead of going to 
some reputable nurseryman and stating his wants, should 
do as many others have done and are still doing, select 
his trees indiscriminately from the forest without any 
regard to the kinds or their adaptation to the purposes 
intended, and were to have them planted in deep, nar¬ 
row holes, the trees having but few roots would struggle 
perhaps for a few years with scarcely any perceptible 
sign of growth. In such cases failure must inevitably 
result. When amateur planters are giving their orders 
to nurserymen if they would insist upon having trees 
that have been properly prepared, and will accept, no 
others, such demands will create a plentiful supply, but 
the purchaser must bear in mind that he will have to 
pay an extra price for all such trees. 
There are some kinds of trees, as Elms and Maples, 
that can be planted directly from the nursery-rows and 
that will do well enough, but such trees as Magnolias, 
Tulip trees and Oaks must be transpla!nted two or three 
times in the nursery before their removal to the streets. 
The trees that are planted on the Paris boulevards have 
to be transplanted two or three times before they are set 
out on the streets, and they are for the most part Syca¬ 
mores and Elms. If our planters in general would pay 
more attention to our finer kinds of forest trees than to 
Horse Chestnuts and European Lindens, and would use 
a fair proportion of the various kinds of Oaks, the Mag¬ 
nolia Acuminata, Tulip trees. Black and White Walnuts 
and the European Cut-leaved Weeping Birch, the monot¬ 
ony of Maples and Elms would be relieved. The Over¬ 
cup Oak is a beautiful tree growing to a height of over 60 
feet, with fine head which is laden with dark tufted foliage. 
The Rock Chestnut Oak is also a beautiful ornamental 
tree and when planted in good soil rises with a straight 
columnar trunk. It has a symmetrical head with large 
dentriculate leaves. The Pin Oak is a graceful tree and a 
very thrifty one, with long, drooping branches and light, 
elegant foliage. The Black Walnut is a most desirable 
tree for avenues. It is majestic in appearance, growing 
from 60 to 70 feet in height, with a trunk from 3 to 4 
feet in diameter, with horizontal branches extending into 
a dense, massive head. The Butternut is also useful as 
an avenue tree but it does not grow either to the height 
or size of the Black Walnut. It is a beautiful tree when 
young and grows rapidly. The European Cut-leaved 
Weeping Birch is one of the most beautiful trees for 
avenues. It is graceful in habit, clean and bright in 
appearance. The delicacy of its branches and lightness 
of its foliage contrast beautifully with that of heavier 
growing trees. The American Elm and the Maples are 
universally planted for street trees. I would recommend 
the planting of intermediate trees only on special occa¬ 
sions, where an immediate effect is to be produced. 
These intermediate trees should be rooted out when the 
principals approach suitable size. The Box Elder, Car¬ 
olina Poplar, Magnolia, the Laurel-leaved Willow and 
Evergreens may be used with good effect for intermediate 
trees. 
The time is coming when the nurseryman will be able 
