The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-09-16
PLANTING AND CARE
OF STREET TREES
y ,. u.
Generally Been Sacrificed to
Interests Of Business.

One of the characters in an early
day American romance Of the time
when the Stamp Act was causing al
kinds of trouble is recorded as de-
claring that New York never would
q,e real business city because
Broadway and Maiden Lane were
lined with trees. The Van Vrooms,
the Stuyvesants, the Artavelts, anc
other early settlers of the country
saved fine trees about their homes
ON the village greens, along the
country roads, and in the fields. But
one will see no trees nowadays on
Broadway, and Maiden. Lane has
been transformed from the pleasant
tree bordered region Of Dutch homes
with flower gardens into the busiest
wholesale jewelry district in Ameri-
ca, if not in the world. -
Beauty and comfort gave way to
the inroads of commerce, not only In
New York but in most Of America 8
great cities, so that today trees in a
business street are : a rare sight.
There are elm-shaded villages in
New England; naple-shaded town in
New York and the Ohio. Valley, and
there are oakItree streets to be seen
in the Southeastern States, but Tor
the most part Of this refers only to
small towns or cities-never to the
congested centers of population
where they should have been pre-
served. Washington, the National
Capital, is one of the exceptions,
and even there the paintings were
not, always wisely arranged.
The tree growth on the streets Of
the average American town or city
is ragged and unkempt in appear
ance, while that of the suburb or
small village often is not much bet
ter unless the planting has been done
under municipal control, and the
planting on a street have been con-
fined to single kind of tree. The
telegraph, the telephone, the cleo
tric light, and the trolley car have
added their share toward the mutila-
!. ton or destruction Of the good trees
that We're, in existence at the time
Of their coming. -.,, ~:
Faulty methods of pruning have
caused disagreement and ruin. ''Suc-
cess follows the careful planting Of
good trees which are given adequate
protection and timely attention" j"
says Farmers' Bulletin 1909, Plant
ing and Care of Street Trees, just
issued by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture. every tree
should ,be trained to its proper form
while young, so that severe pruning
will not be necessary later. Guards
are necessary, too, for several years.
"To the mutliation of severe prun-
ing has been added the destruction
of many trees in centers of bust
nesses because they excluded little
light, or made the store less promi-
nent, or were somewhat in the way
Of using the sidewalk for merchan-
disc"
The bulletin insists that providing
shade on city streets is as much a
municipal function as providing light
or sidewalks and should therefore,
be cared for by public officials.
Probably the most efficient way of
arranging for proper supervision, it
says, is through an unpaid commits
sion Of three or five members which
in turn employs an executive officer.
{ Methods of organization are de-
scribed, and numerous illustrations
show how trees should be planted
There are chapters also describing
pruning, spraying, transplantins
and other subjects of Importance to
every town or city whether it has
trees or. wishes to have them. The
bulletin may be had free from ap
: plication to the Division of Publica
tins, United States Department o;
Agriculture, Washington, D. C,