Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-09
CITY FORESTRY
WILL RESULT IN
SHADED STREETS
Department Would Plant and
Care for Trees in Public
Park Space.
DISEASE FIGHT NEED
By vOLNEY B. FOWLER.


Cool. shaded streets will replace hot,
glaring highways in many parts of the
city il the city forestry department as
planned By James II. Lowry, superin-
tendent of parks. is established within
the next two or three years.
The forestry department, as proposed
By Mr.. Lowry, would plant and care for
trees in the public lawn space and would
have supervision over trees on private
property so far as 70 see that they are
free from disease which might spread to
other timber.
Thus the city. and not the property
owner. would become primarily respon-
sibIe for the uniform beauty of the
streets. Officials contend that this is
the only way 10 get thorough results in
this phase Of civic betterment-
OYSTER SHE'LL
SCALE MENACE.
At the present time a forestry depart
,,sment is badly needed to fight the serious
,infestatiou Of oyster she'll scale with
which Indianapolis trees are suffering
The ravages Of the disease are noticeable
all over the city where trees are dead
or dying. The pest attaches Itself TO the
bark and sucks the life out Of its host.
It's attack usually is first noticeable in
a whitening of leaves at the end Of
branches.
once the tree diseases are under con-
troll several years Of planting work would
face the new department So far as park
officials know there is but one evidence
Of true uniform tree Planting on the pub
lie lawn SPACE outside Of the boulevards
and parks. This is in Washington bOule-
ward north Of Thirty Fourth street. It
would be the work Of the city foresters
70 extend the uniform system all over the
city. Many streets where trees are in
bad shape would be replanted while there
are scores which never have had trees
One OF the outstanding examples OF the
lack OF trees is in Southeastern avenue
from the Pennsylvania railroad TO Rural
street. This is a main highway from
rural district almost into the heart Of
the CITY and hence is heavily Travelled
Yet in the mile or so between the railroad
and Rural street there are scarcely Q
dozen trees along the public lawn space.
The lawn is fifteen feet wide. an unusual
width and the street could he splendidly
decorated with trees, according TO George
II Morgan. bead n the special service Of
the park department
PUBLIC TREE MAN
IN WOODRUFF PLACE.
While &c is not uniformly planted.
Woodruff Place gives s splendid Illus
tration or what proper care OF trees viii
, do. The IltrIe comDrnity has a public
tree man TO preserve the splendid old
specimens in the parkways and private
lawns.
Probably the greatest opportunity for
service y hicb the forestry department
could reader. according to park officials.
would be to plant the streets lying close
to the business district Very few or
these have q yestige Of their old sylvan
spIendor left II the business district
were circIed about by a broad belt OF
heavily wooded streets the heat. humid
ity and impure air Of the cOngested sec
tion would be greatly relieved the of
ficials say Trees take carbon mOnoxide
out If the air and give back oxygen
Uniform plantation Of some of the more
crowded streets Of the south and west
sides would do the same thing for these
sections as for the business district
Some Of the quiet little highways Of the
south and west sides, however. are
among the most beautiful in the city
because of their splendid trees, the Of
fcials assert
EVIDENCE OF LACK
OF SUPERVISION.
For lack OF proper supervision many
trees which otherwise would be healthy
anu uEEAAlAuA now are N16EdsEQ anu
gnarled. There is one section Of North
Alabama street where paintings were too
close TO the sidewalk. with the result
that the trees, which are a little over
half grown, are now shriveled and lOp-
sided. The lawn space between sidewalk
and pavement in many streets Is entirely
too narrow for the proper shade plant
ing. The width, Mr.. Morgan says, never
should be less than from eight to ten
feet. Construction OF sidewalks on the
curb line, instead of behind a lawn
space, has resulted in bad tree planting
In many places, he said. In contrast
with the splendidly planted section Of
Washington boulevard north OF Thirty
Fourth street there is the stretch Just
south OF Thirty Fourth street. The lat
ter, according to the head Of the special