Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-03
The Care That is Used in Making
Selections.
CONDITIONS THAT ARE FAVORABLE
They Demand Lots of Sunlight and
Plenty of Food.
DANGERS OF CITY LIF E

would be practically uninhabltable, said
Superintendent Smith of the botanical gar
dens. Mr.. Smith is a recognized authority
on trees. He loves tree as a young maiden
is supposed to love her sweetheart. In fact,
trees and flowers are the sweethearts of
the superintendent. He has made them a
study during a long and active life spent
among them, and he knows their nature,
their habits. their wants as thoroughly as
It is possible for man to know such things.
Washington is the most beautifully shaded
city on this continent, and perhaps in the
world. which IS owing largely to the intel
ligent care and supervision of Mr.. Smith
and his associates in the parking commits
sion.
During a visit to Paris a number of years
ago MIR. Smith found that city had estab-
lished a nursery for the cultivation and care
the trees were actually trained and educat-
ed for the purposes for which they were in
tended. He brought back the idea with
him, ard Mr.. Alexander r. Shepherd, who
was then at the head of the government of
the District. adopted 1t. and a similar nur-
sery was established here. This nursery
now supplies the trees for street and park
Planting In the city. Speaking of trees for
street uses, Mr.. Smith says:
There Is a great difference between trees
suitable for curbstone planting and those
designed for lawns ard parks. In Washing
ton the planting and care of the street trees
Is under the control of the city authorities
1t Is not so in other cities of this country,
and in that Washington Is more favored
than the other cities. In other cities the
owners of the property select such trees as
they fancy. or none al all. just as 1t pleasas
them. and being ignorant of the nature and
ov1fS of ha fvaa fha Ok Ia fro
quently the wrong one. By this indiscrimi-
nate selection according to the fancy of the
property owner, uniformity is sacrificed. and
uniformity Is one of the great beauties of
shaded streets. One owner will trim his
trees and care for them: another will ne
glect his and give them no attention after
Planting. More frequently than otherwise
a tree that would grow well on a lawn il
selected for curbstone use, where they will
not flourish, and IL trimmed at all. 1t is in
judiciously done
Trees Are Natural Pirates.
ITO have a city really beautiful there
should be uniformity in the curbstone
planting OF trees. Not that the same
variety should be planted upon every street.
but when II is once determined to shade
street, upon that street the same tree should
be used from one end to the other, and the
trees should be carefully selected so as to
secure. as near as possible uniformity In
size and healthy growth. Another good
results from this uniformity of planting.
One variety will not breed with another. BY
using the same species they all grow better
and are better able to stand the effects of
time. Then. too. some trees are natural
pirates-they will steal food from one an
other, and from a tree of another variety,
thereby dwarfng It's growth. There are
trees on every street and in every park of
the city that are starving to death because
they are being robbed OF their food by some
other.
"A soft maple is to other trees what the
English sparrow Is to other birds-a rob
Der. Trees for curbstone planting should
be bold, daring, self-asserting. aggressive.
possessing the disposition and power to
seek after and obtain food in times OF
famine. and of repairing any injury they
may receive. This Is the case especially In
city. which. like Washington, has Its
streets paved with concrete. But little
moisture can enter the ground In Wash
ington, compared with the amount OF rair.
which falls. The city Is. In the main, COM
pactly built. the roofs of the houses she'd
ding the water that falls upon them into
the sewers, which carry 1t away to the
river The concerted streets do the same.
Hence the only moisture which sinks into
the ground is that from the rain which falls
on the lawns and brick pavements. The
concerted streets do one good thing, they
keep the moisture that Is In the ground
from coming to the surface and being
evaporated by the heat. A tree that would
when planted at the curbstone. and even
the bold, self-asserting tree must be trim,
med, and closely trimmed at that.
Starvation Among Trees.
almost every day owners Of property
come to me and complain that the trees
on their sidewalks are shedding their leaves.
and seem to be surprised at 1t. when the
fact is the tree Is starving to death. 1t
cannot get food enough to make and hold
Its leaves. The tree needs trimming. There
Is the difference between shade and fruit
trees In shade trees we want leaves. and
would much regret to see our trees bearing
seeds, therefore we trim severely to ger
leaves. The orchard owner wants fruit,
but he prunes and prunes and gets leaves
He follows the example of the cultivator-
OF shade trees and cuts and lops away, and
then expects to get something other than
what the shade tree man receives. To get
fruit little pruning must be done.
Some trees require lots of sunlight
others flourish best in shaded or secluded
spots; some need a good deal of moisture,
while others love warm, dry places. To
must understand their nature. and not ex-
pect a tree that by nature loves shade to
flourish where the sun beats down upon 1t
all day. or one that requires lots of sunlight
to grow where the sun would rarely strike
upon It, All trees must have degree of
warmth, though some require much more
than others. Take away this warmth and
the tree is dwarfed Perfectly formed and
full grown trees have been found in Spitz-
bergen that were only four or five inches
high, which in more southerly climates
would have reached height of sixty or
more feet.
Some trees are very sensitive to the
cold and will not grow we'll except in warm
climates, while others do not bear extremes
of heat well: so the climate must be taken
into consideration In selecting curbstone
trees Soil also has something to do with
the healthy growth. but not near so much
as climate. The tree lives on light, air.
heat and moisture, and these II must have
In abundance and properly proportional II
Il Is expected to thrive. 1t Graves food
and Is almost always hungry. A tree must
have air, that air must permeate the body
of the tree and reach even the roots. The
leaves are the lungs of the tree. through
them IL breathes. The leaf inhales from the
under side and exhales from the upper II
from any cause the leaf Is not healthy the
tree fails to get the air II requires. 1t 10
like the human frame In that respect.
mans body cannot be healthy when the
lungs ares diseased. Deprive tree Of
moisture so that the leaves cannot be kept
healthy and you stop its breathing power.
As Sanitary Agents.
"A tree evacuates through the roots,
and thus discharges into the ground the
poison and other deleterious substances the
leaves have absorbed. So free is this evac-