Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1906-09-01
PLANTING OF TREES
HOW TO GET BEST RESULTS UNDER
ALL CONDITIONS.

Each street Should he Planted with
the Same variety. Says J. Horace
Mcfarland Points Selecting
Trees and Protecting Them
In response to Il letter of inquiry adj
dressed to the American Civic associa-
tion the following valuable informu
tion has been furnished by its presi-
dent, J. Horace McFarland
If you are to plant street trees in
your town 1t should be done with Intel
ligent and careful consideration and
not at random. You can find out what
trees do best In your ncighborhood by
investigation. 1t is always preferable,
and very greatly preferable, to use
trees that are either indigenous or
have been sufficiently tested to make
Is nothing to be gained and much to
be lost by the Introduction of nursery
mems novelties, of trees from other
localities that are not sufficiently test
ed or of those that are not long lived
and of proper habit for street planting.
The next matter of Importance is to
see that, If you are to plant whole
streets at a time, they are planted all
IN the same kind of tree and not hit or
miss. Our great national capital,
Washington, is conspicuous example
of how we'll tree planting can be man
aged, for there are great avenues with
pin oaks and others with sycamores
and others with tulips and others with
elmS. but on no street has there been
permitted heterogeneous mixture.
Mixing Of trees can be lillcned to the
condition that would prevail If gen
tleman getting for himself n double
breasted frocl coat would alternate the
buttons In Rll different sorts of texture.
1t is next important to see that the
trees are not planted too closely. Long
lived trees need room to develop. The
small trees you will undoubtedly use
look very lonesome when planted at the
proper distance apart, but they will
grow all the better for having room to
grow. | have seen examples of tree
planting not over ten or twelve feet
apart, with the certainty that after
awhile the trees would be damaging
each other and some would have to
be removed. Never less than twenty
feet and preferably more space should
be permitted between trees
You can assure your property owners
that the modern idea Is that the city
had better own the trees. AS your
town grows 1t Will be able to provide
care for these trees. The best possible
work now under way Is in New Jersey,
where there are tree planting commits
sionS In this state II the town elects
trees are planted under the local COM
missiOnerS purely at the determination
of the commission as to variety and
character distance, etc, but at the cost
of the abuttng property owners.
In respect to varieties of trees let me
suggest a consideration Of the Ameri-
can elm, the pin oak, the red oak, the
American sycamore, the English syCa-
more, the tulip tree, the hard or sugar
maple. the red maple possibly the Nor
way maple and the sycamore maple.
Certainly omit the silver maple or the
ash leavcd maple from your conSidera-
ton. The white ash may be used and
10 i'iIS Nv W. A'A All''N i'' Z OtlANA III
digrnouS trees which approach the
ideal form for street trees, which Is
that Of the American elm. If you can
by any means plant the largest proper
tiOn of elms, do So | have visited the
city of OsweGo, y. Y, where forty or
fifty years ago a general tree planting
movement was undertaken and all the
streets were planted wisely with elmS
The effect Is now of the utmost beauty.
You need to have ordinances to take
the control of these trees out of the
hands of the property owner and to
place it In the hands of an unpaid city
commission which would include some
with expert knowledge. Surely you
can find some public spirited men and
women to serve in this capacity. AS
to protecting the trees from boys, the
best possible way Is to teach the boys
to love the trees by showing them pic
lures of good trees in your schools and
giving them information about trees.
AS to the trimming proposition, 1t
must be absolutely restricted If you
are to have good trees. If the trees
come to you In fair order with a good
root system they will need the cutting
off of all mutilated roots and rea-