Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23
THE TREES OF WASHINGTON
Interesting Points Brought Out Regarding
the Oity's Beautifiers.
Annual Report of the Superintendent
of Parking Contains Much In
formation of Value.

of parking today submitted to Captain
Beach. the District Engineer Commissioner.
his report for the fiscal year ended June 80.
1899
The report shows that during the past
year 1923 trees were planted in the city and
suburbs, as follows: One thousand two hun
dred and slxty-six in the northwest section,
GIG in the southwest section, BAT in the
| northeast section, "a in the southeast Sec
ton.
They consisted of Norway sugar and soft
NAPLES, pin oaks and red oaks. elms lin
dens, Salisburiae and oriental planes, and
were all planted in the curb line cat an
average distance of thirty-one feet apart)
with the exception of a few in the parking
to take the place of dead ones
owing to the exceptionally favorable
weather of the season. says Mr.. Lanham
the trees on the streets of the city pre-
sent an unusually healthy appearance this
year. Especially is this the case with the
elms and SOFT naples. These two varieties
of trees have for years been annually at
lacked by insect enemies. the former by the
elmleaf beetle and the soft maple (of which
streets) by scale insect Previous to 1897
the soft NAPLES We're being so severely at
lacked that their extinction was threatened
ana 1ufther planting of them suspended
except to fill vacant spaces in streets al
ready planted with them. But for the ex-
lstence of the elm leaf beetle and the con-
more extensively planted, as 1t is undoubt-
eddy one of the finest trees for planting
avenues and wide streets.
The scale just spoken of on the soft
naples seems to be disappearing, and many
OF the trees are In good health and condi-
ton that were suffering severely from it.
Some OF the best shaded streets are planted
with this tree; of the largest probably
those on street west of 10Th street are
the best, while the younger trees east of
llth street northeast and 10Th southeast
between Lincoln Park and Pennsylvania
avenue are particularly good.
The Noble Elm.
PIN oak and oriental planes are next to
elms, probably best adapted to wide thor
oughfares, but I think that elms should
again be planted, now that the beetle seems
to be disappearing. B street southwest,
Missouri avenue and parts of New Jersey
avenue are arched over by fine elm trees,
while New Hampshire avenue north of
pennsylvania avenue) and other places
where the trees are planted are rapidly APP
preaching that condition.
Il would invite special attention to the
red oaks on 18th street west between B
street north and B street south; to the pin
oaks on Wyoming avenue between 18th
and 10Th streets, and to the salisburias on
Pierce place between 14th and 10th streets
northwest.
For streets and narrow parkings expert
ence proves that Norway sugar and soft
planted sufficiently wide apart serve the
purpose, as they can be pruned to almost
any shape without apparent injury"
stock Hand.
After referring to the stock of young
trees in the nurseries. Mr.. Lanham says
that with this stock Of trees on hand, and
with proper appropriation, it would seem
possible next year for street tree planting
to parallel the other street improvements.
Tha IF nllrhin nd Ia vi of
cement sidewalks, he thinks, yearly destroy
of the best trees on the streets, and
in some instances 1t is but matter of time
when the entire blocks have to be replant-
ed. This is an increasing evil, says Mr..
Lanham, and, together with the fact that
trees grow larger more are destroyed
by storms, makes the cost of replacing trees
a matter of serious consideration. The
trees are in the nursery, available for this
purpose, and yearly quantities are thrown
away, having grown too large to be of
service, so the amount of planting Is con-
trolled solely by the amount of appropria-
ton. and for the same reason many new
streets that need trees badly have to be
left undone.
IAN trees of less than four years
growth" continues Mr.. Lanham, ION the
streets have been cultivated and the spaces
around them freed from weeds during the
year. All the spaces where trees were
planted and where there are not contin-
uous parking strips were paved on the
edge with bricks on edge.
Getting Rid of Caterpillars.
"Caterplllars appeared In considerable
quantities on some of the trees In the mid
die of June. They were promptly attacked
and removed by clipping off the affected
branches hauling them to dumps and burn
ing them. This method up to the present
has proved to be the cheapest and best
manner of getting rid of them Some years
ago when they were much more numerous
than of recent years many people, inspired
by laudable intention. commenced the de-
struction of them by burning the nests
with torches. This method of their
moval was strongly urged on the parking
commission Though never tried by them),
but it was found to do more harm to the
trees than to the worms, the remedy being
worse than the disease.
Many of the older trees in the city have
every year considerable dead wood in them
that needs to be removed; particularly is
this true of tulip trees. elms and soft ma
pies. Many of the latter have grown to
such size during favorable seasons that
when an unfavorable one "a very dry sum-
mer, for instance) comes along the ends OF
the limbs die back, and for the sake of ap-
pearance as well benefit to the trees
it is necessary to trim back several to
healthy living wood. Several streets in
Georgetown planted with this tree and H
street northeast have received this treat
ment.
Six hundred and eighty-six trees. which
for various reasons had become objectiona-
bic, were removed; some were dead, some
in the way of improvement and others be-
ing of varieties condemned Among these
were 1O6 catalpas in the parking of Penn
sylvania avenue southeast, removed be-
cause of their interference with the more
recently planted oaks, and 125 Carolina
poplars on 9Th street northwest, to admit
of the widening of the street. In the latter
case their replacement by salisburias was
ordered.
SUES FOR REDRESS.