Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-15
DISTRICT PARKING
ANNUAL REPORT or SUPxRI1.
TENDENT LANHAM SUBMITTED.
Number Of Trees Planted the Past
Year-The Ravages Of
Oaterpillars.

The annual report of the superintendent
of parking, Mr.. Trueman Lanham, has been
filed with the Commissioners. According to
this report 2.417 trees were planted on the
streets during the year. This number In
cluded elms. gingkos. lindens. Norway. soft
and sugar naples. pin and red oaks and
syoamores. and was an increase Of 1O7 over
the number planted the previous year. Had
1t not been for the delayed spring season.
2,6U trees would have been set out and
under favorable conditions this number
might have reached a totaf Of 1900.
The severity OF the winter caused the
death of great many young trees which
had been planted the preceding fall. and
in order to maintain uniformity in the
newIy-planted rows. 1t was necessary to
replace every one that had died. Dead or
diseased trees on block among healthy
ones, the superintendent states. detract
much from the otherwise pleasing appear
ance of the street. and the superintendent
of parking endeavors to remove at the
earliest practicable date all such trees to
which his attention is directed. Although
there will always be more or less of these
cases. 1T is believed that at the present time
the streets are freer from them than at
any time during the past four or five years
The Trimming Of Trees.
Tree trimming is a matter upon which
more attention is bestowed each year Mr..
Lanham states. land with the increasing
area covered and the difficulty in finding
convenient dumps its cost is subject to
large increase annually This class of work
is also responsible for large amount of
clerical labor. this season of the year,
especially, being matked by the receipt OF
many communications requesting limbs re-
moved. trees topped. etc. In order to as
certain the exact nature of the work de-
sired. 1t Is necessary for a representative
from this office to call upon the writers
OF the REQUESTS and personally examine the
trees affected. The. assistant ssliperintend-
ent. in addition to his Office duties. is en-
gagged on these inspections and 4, large por
ton of his time Is consumed in this man
neg. --r
In addition to 4 total of S3l trees re-
moVed by this Office some dead or. other
wise in the way of improvements. approx
mately $50. consisting of Norway. soft and
sugar naples and lindens. We're destroyed in
the area of the filtration plant'by fhe con-
tractors engaged on that work.
The work incident to the elimination of
grade crossings and construction of the new
union station caused the removal of 100
trees in the southwest. rs in the southeast.
and about 800 I'm the northeast section OF
the city. all of which We're taken out by
the contractors engaged in that work
These make a total of 1.7.9 trees remov
ed during the year, which. after giving due
Der on the streets about SS.tss5.
War on Insects.
About the middle of June caterpillars
made their appearance In considerable num-
bers An allotment of $500 was asked and
obtained from the emergency fund and
expended in their destruction, The fire.
quent cold rains also materially assist in
Kidding the trees of these pest. and the
damage done by them was of small mo-
ment.
las during the previous year, the purple
louise was prevalent on some of the younger
elm trees but further than rendering them
little unsightly for a time material
injury resulted from their presence. In
deed. the purple louise. in its relation to
the street trees here. has thus far proved
TO be rather harmless insect. Trees af-
fected by this pest were not treated with
the lime wash. il seemed unnecessary.
As in the last annual report? 1T said
in conclusion. lit is again urged that tree
spaces in cement sidewalks be left as large
as the local conditions will justify. Trees
cannot flourish without liberal water sup
ply. and the modern pavement Of streets
and sidewalks f. tending more and more
to lessen this supply"