The morning journal-courier., 1908-08-20
TREES VALUATION They Are Considered the Index of the Character of Any
 Community.
  HINTS ON PLANTING THEM Give Each Tree Enough Room So That Individual Beauty VIII
 Not Be Lost

Street trees and their condition are largely an index, for they have much to do with the character and growth of a city or town While they add much to the comfort and pleasure Of the in- hahitants, the evident determination to be comfortable bespeaks the charac ter of the people. Not only do street trees concern the present, but assures one of still better results in the fu- ture. If one but takes the trouble to look the matter up 1t will be found that majority of the larger cities east of the Mississippi started as well plant ed, well cared for villages. Often this marvellous growth may be traced back to where some enthusiastic individual or small band of workers determined that their village should be made beau tiful and attractive to home seekers.
 Many can, if they would, start this E work with swing and gait that could not fail to succeed, thereby adding to i the property values of both self and | neighbors Why stand ye idly by"
 Do not overplant streets. Allow each | tree sufficient room so that when full | ly grown it's individual beauty will not . be lost Trees so planted always make ! the more satisfactory growth. Their . root systems start forth equally dis trlbuted in all directions. If placed too , close 10 each other when of large size the space between trees ls soon ex- haustcd of plant food and completely filled with roots. then the feedsr make f~a tx tter1 lac. tR faa row, seeking plant food wherever mos. { easily obtained, In country districts this often results In these starving trees sending their roots into orchards comparatively near the surface and nearly destroying the nearest row of fruit trees,
 A most thorough preparation of deep soil bed for the young trees will | start q roofing system down deep in the natural reservoir of plant food, and | the feeders Will not then plsh up nelr the surface to forage because of shor: rations at home. Roots reaching int, and interfering with orchard CT ga den may in the case of old trees be cut by digg.1g trench parallel with the raw and cutting them off 1T the tors aye also properly prunea, the tree W Il not need such an extensive root system 10 support IL. If the street tree Is given I occasional feed and cultivation, as is always the case with orchard trees, Il might be induced to board a. hone T all t.me The need of ample rco1' if we are to secure the best tree devel- opment, is strlklngly shown in the case of the common blue gum, forest tr When grown in commercial plantlt.ons or shclles belts it seads ID tall { straight shaft with scarcely tr1neh . of any note. When sta.d'n5 elnna 1t I developed handsome, rmbiayeoua form and often makes an deal shade | tree.
 One of the most serious drawbacks to atre ct tree planting is the inability to i obtan capable men to do the work. ln l spite of tie fact that men on every hand may be found who claim 10 bn trained gardeners. very few are at all coinpetent to plani trees or care for them after planting Even the best gardeners are seldom trained in those li5ies which have 10 deal with street trees and a well trained orchardist ig tt be preferred for the planting. while special training Is required for intelll- gent pruning If more good men were Javailable. our larger cities and towns J might be encouraged to appoint tree wardens or city foresters. As II Is, the authorities feel somewhat helpless, nnd the matter drifts along, the property owner planting and tho wind or wire stringer pruning until no respectable trees are left Some day the city pr town awakes to find it has no stree. trees worthy the name, and q movement is made to begin all over again, re- claiming such trees as are still of value, roofing out and replacing old marred stumps, and only by q general upheav- al is t possible to place the municipal iiv on tho road toward the city beau tiful goal.
 Young street trees growing vigor- ously need attention In variety of ways Abnormal and useless growths must be cut off and so must the ton at a proper height, tho iatter to induce branching into 2 low heading tree rath- CT than continuing howard into spind- lv and insuflleien. e@clar'at'on point on the lnn1scane view MI young trees. as rule need staknq md tving and no hnlfwav measures r',arld be adopted in this work Have the stakes strong enorgh 10 resist the heaviest wind- etorna and the cord eduallv effective The latter should be large and soft, that 1t ma. not cut Into the tender hork as vol as making q closely knit knot that will not come united ar slip. Fra- orent and conious irrigations must be given during the first summer following planting more especially if unusually large holes heve not been dug, so as 70 induce a free far-reachlne root sYs- tenn. II is well to remember the old ndnoniion. "As the twig ls bent the trees inclined" few minntes nrun. ing when younF will remove the ne- cessity of unsghtlv 'hacknp" in the future--New London Telegraph