Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-04-08
FROsTBURG. MD. SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 1890.

Is tl!'- lack of water supply for the roots,
another is the menace of natural and
artificial gas poisoning, another the
deadly smoke of furnace and factory,
and still another the attacks of insects
While copious enough rains may fall
over city, tagging and modern pave
monts carry it swiftly off by way of the
cutters into the sewers, where other
wise it would slowly percolate through
the soil and be drink for the thirsty
roots of tn" trees. The remedy, if trees
are to be planted where the rain that
soaks down in the soil is insufficient
for the health or life of the tree, is to
convey To their roots by artificial means
the necessary moisture. In such cities
as Salt Lake City and Denver. where
vegetation has to endure prolonged
drought each year, irrigation pipes for
the purpose of supplying water to the
city trees have been successfully intro
duced In our eastern cities the water
cart is found to be an effective remedy.
Another question to which city tree
planting associations are directing their
timely attentions is the careless laying
and jointing of gas pipes in the streets.
This permits leakage and the absorption
of the poisonous gases by the soil and
indirectly brings about the death of
many fine city shade tree. The equally
malignant sulphurous fumes that come
from factory chimneys will not disap-
pear until complete combustion of
smoke in cities is enforced by law. All
Of our native trees, however, are not
delcteriously affected by these smoke
fumes, the American elm being almost
entirely immune.
1t naturally follows that the most de
sirable shade trees for cities will be
those having sufficient hardihood of CON
stitutiOn to withstand the unhealthy
emanations of chimnrys and gas mains,
and strong enough to endure the cold of
our winters and the drafts of our
summers. Prc-eminent among its fel-
lows, in its ability to do this, stands the
American elm. 1t is not Il fast growing
tree, but its massive trunk. its thick
crown of foliage and its gracefully in
terlaCing branches make it Il beautiful
object. Long COlonnadeS of full grown
elms can already be seen in many New
England towns, forming beautiful gothic
arches of shade and vcrdure. Next, per
haps, cones the sugar maple (ACcr
saCcharinum), which attains a long life
and is model Of symmetrical growth.
The silver leaf maple will thrive i'll
damp soil, so if planted in urban streets
must be well watered. Its one other
fault as a shade tree is that, while be
ing the fastest growing variety of tree
in our country, there is always dan
ger Of its larger limbs giving way be
fore high winds.
The red oak is an excellent shade tree,
but to he successfully transrlanted must
be nursery grown. In the nursery the
young oak is deprived of its taproot
and consequently sends out lateral roots
not entering too deeply in the ground.
The Carolina poplar has the advantage
of being very speedy grower and, like
the native horse chestnut, seems to en-
joy peculiar immunity from all at
tacks of insects dangerous to more deli
cate growths.
OF these insects that attack city
shade trees certain bOrers and the tuS