The San Francisco call., 1909-11-06

tMPLOYAFORESTER
Committee Prepares Report for
Club on ArbOreaI DecOra=
ton of City Streets

OAKLAND. Nov. 5.-In report
which win be submitted Tuesday even
ing. 10 the CITY of Piedmont improve
snent club a special Investigating com
yaittee recommends that city for
ester be employed and that shade trees
BE sela5ted. under municipal supervision
and according to botanical science. The
original Investigating work done by
prof. ". =. Jepson of the department
Of ~3,o;a.5,y Of the University of Califor-
nia for Berkeley guided the Piedmont
,.o71uiitfee in its labors, and synopsis
Of the scientists findings, precisely as
printed in. The Call for October %. viii
he embodied in this report. Professor
Jepson was. consulted by the commit
Zee
PHOTOGRAPHS OF TREES
The. committee named by the City of
PIEDMONT Improvement club is COM
posed of Walter d. O'Brien, Rupert
Whitehead and Maurice Stewart. They
have prepared photographs Of shade
qrees to he submitted with their COM
Dflatfons. and; have studied the soil of
Sheir- hillside. town to determine the
frees hest adapted 10 the locality. They
have. .as well. noted the 'peculiarities
81 grow us OF ulll+ECAA anu
are prepared to recommend certain
,rees for sidewalk planting because OF
tfeint widespreading branches, which
v-gFiIa relieve the straight upward
Zines of buildings, and because OF the
tasdsslcv: of the roots TO grow down
wsrd instead Of running pavements.
METHOD OF PLANTING
Ia theIr report the three investigat-
crs say that the conditions in Pied
mont are similar TO those of Berkeley;
Sen6s ;heX- find the town could do no
better than follow the advice given TO
che Berkeley commissioners by the
university savant. AS Jepson advised,
she committee win recommend that the
shade trees be planted not farther apart
than. 400 feet and not closer together
rhar so feet Deciduous varieties
rather than eNergreens are favored, and
certain. tropical trees which have been
widely. grown in the bay cities are con-
senned.
OPPOSITION TO PALMS
- Thus. quoting Jepson. the report will
Tor entirely different reasons l more than
unalIerably opposed. possible 10 palms ana
mon our narrow streets The grace OF branching
trees in order 10 relieve the rigidity of street
lines Dragon trees are nothing more than shsN-
Hg brushes suck up on END. Lallns ..s ~ ~ oot e
streets are only little more than rigid poles OF
siTlilaf Charactef- 6nu rheF are eALtiHeia on-
ri,yious because OF obstructing sidewalks and in
juring peoples eyes.
VARIETIES RECOMMENDED
Several varieties of trees are spe-
.ifcelly recommended. In this particu-
lar the committee again quotes Pro-
fessor Jepson's report as follows:
The Scotch elm is an exceedingly desirable
tree and Is not. far as ] know. open 10 the
objections msde against the cork elm on account
81 -ealoLering The American elm. while beau
rifgI rrce should not be used here because II Is
net adapted 10 our climate
Another highly successful street tree Is the
oriental plane. And ] might continue, but
fhe matter OF ihe selection Of trees Is one OF q
special and detailed survey
Nearly au the naples. including our own bis
Lea or oregon rnanle. do exceedingly well upon
orr streets readily adapting themselves TO the
soils auc the street conditions. growing rapidly
md making a fine showing in = few years In
The case Of most of them their heads are not
TOO thick. they arc very clean both IN growth
snd ha bit and very reliable.
The Carolina poplar is surprisingly splenald
street tree: there being fine examples on upper
nnigir way.