the sun without assistance. It repairs its own 
wounds by natural coverings. Its roots anchor 
the tree securely without the help of man. And 
the strong wood cells in the trunk and branches 
make a sturdy and flexible branched column 
which needs no outside support. 
THE IDEAL TREE 
THE BEST TREE 
Everything that has been said is true of trees 
in general. But what constitutes the best tree? 
The best tree for planting out is perhaps a strain 
of a naturally occurring variation that grows uni- 
formly and thrives under conditions similar to 
those in which a like tree has thrived. 
Reproductions from a parent tree are by means 
of scions, which with tolerance for existing con- 
ditions, will almost certainly follow the char- 
acteristic appearance of the parent. 
ITS FEATURES 
Let us proceed according to our divisions of 
root, stem and leaf. The roots of our ideal tree 
are strong and deep but are compact so are not 
likely to clog sewer lines. The roots do not raise 
the soil around the base of the trunk or grow so 
close to the surface as to push up and crack 
nearby cement walks and pavements.s5: 
The trunk is strong, and thick enough in pro- 
portion to the size of the tree to support itaa he 
crotches of the branches and trunk should be 
strong enough to withstand yery hard wind storms 
even if the weight of the branches is increased 
by layers of ice. The distance from the trunk to 
the tip of the longest branch should not be too 
great because the downward force exerted on the 
crotches increases greatly with large overhang. 
The leaves should be rough, tough and vigor- 
ously green so that they can withstand the attacks 
8 
