The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-02-20
PROF, MASSEY ON TREES.
He Takes Issue With Mr. Mccarthy
as 70 Sugar Naples.
Raleigh, February II, 1901

To the Editor: In your Sunday edi-
trees by Mr.. Mccarthy. with which in
the main / have no fault TO ind. fHt
50 far as | have observed there have
been no silver marbles planted III late
years on the Raleigh streets. Acer Sac
charunum is the Sugar maple and there
is no better tree grown as a shade tree,
and none more exempt from insect at
tacks. Acer DlSycarpum, the Silver
maple Is Il poor street tree from rs stras-
Cling habit and the britt.eness OF its
wood that causese it to be damagf"1
easily ly storms. The only fault rs =
street tree that the Sugar maple has IS
that it is inclined to spread toe much
horizontally. The Silver maple IS very
liable to be attacked by the cottony
maple louise, but this does not occur
every year, and the Sugar maple IS not
near so apt to be attacked. The oaks
which Mr.. McC. mentions are good. es-
p~ecialIy the willow oak and the Waf'.
oak. The variety OF Q. Laurifolia,
known as the Darlington oak. IS about
the best Of all oaks for street tree plant
ing. One tree which Mr.. NcC recon
mends is not only a bad tree for 81 eet
planting. but is the most perslsjent.y IN
tested hy insects III all The trees We
grow. This is the Cataipa. Its spread
ing and Struggling habit is against it,
and then it is certain to be a~nttt"ly de-
f0liated twice every summer by the
Catalpa moth. or rather by lis lt'vat.
After trying in vain to keep these IN
sects off by spraying, l rave destroyed
the only one we had on III" cO."@e
grounds. and am going to root our one III
NY lawn at home which has sct.en 10
be an Undesirable nuisance from the mnl-
titude of caterpiliars. paulownia IS lit
tie better than CataIpa. and is a very
short lived tree, and the dirtiest of all
trees from its habit of retaining the seed
pods till they gradually decay and fall,
which they do at any time. P~aniownia
is only desirable as d specimen tree i'll
large grounds. The Ashes would be
GOOD street trees but for the fact that
they too are inveterately infested by in
SectS that make them diSagreCable. The
Tulip tree is d magnificent tree end one
of the noblest of our forest rs. But
[ would not recommend it for Street
planting for it will not thrive with its
roots confined under dry paEemHntS and
when it has q chance to grow 1t grows
too large for the street in q 'tW years.
The American Linden or BasSwool IS a
far better tree for the street. The
Sweet Gum is so Common that IN st PEG
PIE overlook its beauty. | consider il
one OF the very best street trees. Some
Sweet Gums which l planted IN the col
lcge lands IL few years ago are getting
to be very handsome trees. The Allan
tus tree is Il handsome tree and would
lie 4 fine street tree but for the fact tina
it is almost impossible to get any but the
male or pollen bearing trees. and tn,
odOr Of their flowers is very sickening
We have now a better tree of similar
habit of growth and grace of foliage
which has not this defect. This tree i
the Cedrela Sinensis and as its name III
dicates, comes from the same country
China. as the Ailantus. We have som,
on the college grounds that are dan;
finely. 1t will however take a long 1.rl
to persuade the people of Raleigh tha
they have made any mistake in rlanIin:
Sugar NAPLES. for they have tried thcr
long enough to now them thoroughly
! On streets like HillsborO, where tn
:. wide part of the street has a border be
tween the pavement and the curb
!, would be pretty to place rows Of Smll
growing c~Onifcrs between the shad
trees. allowing them of course to branc
: from the ground. Berckmans' Dwar
! Golden Biota is just the thing for tn
, purpose. and some OF the Japanese Re
inisTDras would also do well. If tn
street planting was put in the hands c
!. Il competent landscape gardener it woul
he in the end Il saving of money and
great Improvement of the town.
Yours,
w. T. MASSEY,
Botanist and Horticulturist y. c.. E,
pertinent Station.