, 1869-06-27
STREET TREES.

scIJ lew Pt|b0uh 14Ee t1g 11&s C0ocep1dn o.
the possible effect OF tualcioua exercise OF tasts
In the street planting Of ornamental tzees,, Dy
tnts mean selection Of v2dettes be4t zdapted
10 ine situa9ion they arc 70 occupy, and Of such
equality OF size and 10 s15arged na to secure
the best expression OF which they are
capable. or course such > res1k ean only
DC fec11ed by systematic management and
Ftesious artiEic design whose unity
must be Preserved throughout, and s1c1 8
sJs.eEa Is An1ast, u not quite, unknown II any Ct
on1 cities. Owners OF lots may plant whAE trees
they Ike, or none Ut ali, and the reaait, ~ might
be expected, Is mixed array Of different yar!s-
ties, with occasional vacant gsps, utterly devoid
Of beauty OF fymneuJ ~ = vhuie, md, owing 70
improper md QnBkluu1 planting, rarely productive
of deairzb!e eject In the individual t1eeA Euch
loelhot pf planting can Heyef bare AxottEfac-
to1 result, and &ry one who will unservr the
etect tn the gtrects and avenues On wtteh II has
been Attempted, VII rradly perceive Its ue4g7c
md o1teu shabby appearance.
1tM Impossible, ,by any Boch example, 10 Q,ve even
an idea Of the grand And imposing effect which
nne, broad street ike Wabash o. Michigan Avenue
my aaEume, when lined throughout with t1eee,
OF such kinda ~ sre kdapted to tie poduoo,
which have been - Arranged and planted as to
eecure their best e1pretNpn Of dignity and beau-
IT, II can only be properly secured BY systematic
action and thorough performance Of the work IN
saA Ata NE%044S VI AEE&A hl4A CAtNQ444uy
and, although tue cost Of 20 doing It
uay seem large IN the aggregate, II
would IN reality be the cheapest tn the
end Just as 1t Is cheaper for The city 10 furnish
water and Light to its Inhabitants than to leave
escn family OF ue1ghho1hood to provide 1or II
Themselves Let Us take Tahaah avenue for ex-
ample and Gee what II 4, and eudearuT 10 realize
what il might be, Here laa broad, straight, level
st1eee Of miles IN length, which Il 10 be Lined on
c}e etH Hnf fnr ri prtth ainnr
dencek. The wnnt or trees on sucn = street
would be AZ painful deficiency
A the want Of hair on the head Of an
otherwise beautiful womAn. Even dis
heycled locks would be better than utter tA.d-
ness and the present utterly irregular and unsJs-
tenlatc Arrangement Of trees Il better than none
at III, but II compares with what might be as such
4 nass OF tangled hair would compare with the
gpacelQl Lines Of beauty which form the erownlng
charm OF female !oTellneas- Trees OF entirely
different character Of form and foliage are planted.
without the least reference to each other aud still
less with regard to general effect or
Symmetrical desiSa. Their. appearance Il
very 1nIe1y .Attrzc:Ise-1hs majority being cotton
rood trees, Fhlch have little 10 recommend them
be5ond the TACT Of their rapid growth. Owing to
poos selections Of varieties, luErupcr son, want Of
ca1n In planting, and, 1esh4ps more than IL, to
the fact That they were planted before the street
haye thus been buried to an unnatursl depth,
mauJ Of them are elthtr entirely DEAD or 50 n11ed
With dead wood as to be utterly dhTold Of beauty,
shi1e In many places long gaps exist tn witch no
trees Whatever have been p!an'ed.. The Width Of
the sidewalks Is about twen:{ Eve feet Of which
gpaee Of fifteen feet ue1s the street has been
LEFT un1ngged expressly for planting, and Ia most
cases two roHs OF trees haye been piAnted In this
space Fifteen feet il not enough for doup:c
rInf fuJ1~h traA6 kSI SrrY
md better eject OF shade and ornament could
be secured from atugie row, Il properly selected
and planted, than from tWo rows planted 10 ne1T
that taey would necessarily tnlure each other.
A better way would be 10 IeaSt two spaces OF
three or fopr feet each, oEe next the curb stone
and the oteer next the area rallng8, N which the
tleea could be planted mot opposite. bat al
lernattDg with each olhet,- They would thus
have room to develop themselves naturally and
beautifully, and they would certainly do 1t II
proper regard were had. n15t, to the selection OF
proper varcuea: second the proper size and COZ
ditton Of the individual trees, and third to proper
care In transplan1tng. Some Of the varieties
which have been tried there md elsewhere ate
obviously unified for the position, but there arc
enough whleh have proved reliable 10 warrant the
assertion that o1r ateeta need not be deficient In
this mort Important element ot beauty Il
should be borne IN mind that no tree can b
SoAA41~@SA VG0uAAu w TOA ~ VI SQ4lu4E MAJtu
docs not present an aspect Of vigorous and lu1n-
rant groEth, and no tres ehopld be admitted for
strrct-plAnting which Ia delicate and requires nny
extraordinary degree Of care and nurs1ng.
The akh aud the Enueu arc two OF our most
beautiful forest trees, aud are admirably adapted
for street cultu1e, and the few -speetmens I have
seen In the sHrets and private grounds OF chtca-
so are perfectly healthy and Etsoroua The
same nsy be sad Of the maple and the horse
7 nfT Trh
observe In the tatter IN oeca
e!oh4l tendency OF the lower limbs 10 die, which
may, however, ve1T likely be owing 70 want Of
drainage, or that grading the strcerhas buried the
TOOLS unnstura1ly deep. Il the plantations or the
outside border were composed Of trees Of such
character IL the hbove patoed, nor mingled tn-
but arranged In order, and each
variety allowed TO occupy = sufficient extent to
g1vo decided expression to the section ~
adorned, while the inner border w35 planted
with those Of Lesser size, which, when seen
from the street. would display their fol-
sge nnder the more majestic branches Of
the outer TOW, AZ the mountain ash
the hornbeam, the Towering dogwood, 4c7 an
effect OF beauty and attractive interest might be
impaired OF which no description can convey 4
Just conception. But the realization OF luch
te8rlt, either IN the esrreta now existing or In
those which have 5ct to he created, can only be
attained BY systematic management In view Of
tbe greateT Importance TO Chicago than to any
OF the Older cltea OF securing every possible ele-
Eeut OF nat1r0l beauty to render her streets ut
tractye, and OF the possibilities of Gstheic 1ru-
pro&ement which are offered by IN azttstc use Of
trees as means Of ndornmeut, "a 1t not desirable
to ndort some method og municipal OF Social &C.
lion By which It may he atraiued7
II. W. s, C11yELAxp,
CHICAGO, June 20. 1ls Madison street.