Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-04-10
STREET TREES.
Insorenting raiK Upon n subject OF
Upsfui Local Applications.

Interesting EaiK Upon n subject OF
Urefui Local Application.
Garden and Forest.
A young tree on tho border OF O city
street can never bs said to have rongenial
surroundings, even when the utmost pains
have been taken ct the OUTSET to plant 1t
properly and to give intelligent attention
to its needs SO far as possible thereafter.
Many kinds OF trees will absolutely refuse
to live in an atmosphere filed with smoke
and dust, even when the drainage aystem
of the city does not rob their roots OF the
water which is essential to their nourisn-
ment. The hardships which q street tree
must undergo make it oil the more neces-
nary that only tbs most promising iadlvid-
uals OF the kinds best suited TO endure
the trying conditions of city life should
be selected. This means that nursery
grown trees, with abundant roots aud
pruned for the purpose, should invariably
be used.
II is plain that trees of one variety only
should be planted 10 o long, straight row
parallel with the lines Of bniidings in a
continuous street. Much of the deaired
effect will be Loaf il tho trees vary in form
or size, or expression, or rap,dity of
growth, or in the t1ms Of putting forth
their leaves or shedding them. An avenue
of American elms, with their oyerarching
tops, il always beautiful, because the
charm ofesch tree IL renewed in the next,
snd the effect of the whol6 8 constantly
intensified and multiplied by repetition.
An avenue of stately tulip trees lis equally
beautiful, but in an 81 tigely diiferenC way.
The same might be said of double row
Of pin oaks, where there is space for their
dropping lower branches. Bat if Eli these
trees were intsrmingisd, aud sugar mapieB,
horse onestnuts ard others still were added,
the result would be incongTuous and con
Trajectory. There would be no continuous
lines extending through the entire vista
TO help the perspective and 10 give unity
Of character and expression and consist
ENJOY of purpose to the whole. And YET
in our city street planting 1t is the common
practice to allow each lot owner to select
.be tree which suits his fancy. The i'm
mediate fleet is ba enough, but is grow
worse as years roll on and the individual
trees become more and more unlike each
other as their peculiar characteristics art
more strongly marked with age.
But even when the best selection ii
made, disappointment and failure will b,
the enevitable fesult unless tue gEount
lB properly prephEen hlu the blhhtihA
carefully done street grade is Otter
made several feet below the nstura
surface OF the ground, and of course thu
Bubsoil is not In suitable mechanica
condition to receive the roots OF tro4s, MOI
does it contain the necessary nourishnent
Or, again, street may be raised as mucl
above the natural level, filled in st tn
bottom, perhaps, with large rocks whicl
have been thrown together 30 as to lsay
air spaces between them, and this opel
foundation may be covered with stratum
OF all sorts of rubbish No tree can b
planted in such situation with an
promise of health or lone life. In most oassl
en- excavation twenty feet across and tire
feet deep, filed iu with good loan, vii
make q safe place in which to plant
tree, but even here the tree will
doomed to early death If il is just owe
such foundation OF broken rock as ha
been mentioned above. We might ad
that street trees should always be- plante
far enough apart to give each one an OF
portunity to develop into it's best propol
tions, but perhaps many persons who rea
this already feel inclined to resent the tr'
quent iteration of these elementary prime
o.. And yet there ia hardly city
the United States where every one OF Il
ordinary, common sense rules and precaV
tions which should be regarded in plan
ing ptteet trees is not almost CONSTANT
violated.