Evening star., 1941-02-02

the circle to point just north OF 0
street and from the circle to point
just south of M street was doubls
line of trees. On the curb line u
Norway naples were removed, the
only trees involved which are con-
sidered good" by the Department OF
Trees and Parking for city streets.
However, Capt. H. C. Whitehurst,
District highway director, said these
we're planted too close together, 30
to 40 feet, and were of poor shape
and in bad condition.
On the building side of the side
walks was second row, not nearly
so numerous, of tulip poplar, de-
Scribed by the tree department as
most undesirable for streets because
of softnesS, shallow roots and tend
ency to be brittle and to rot easily.
There were 25 of these removed, ac-
cording to the blue print.
Along Rhode Island avenue ir1-
mediately on each side of the circle
l3 more of these tulip poplars had
to be cut.
Along Massachusetts, avenue on
both sides of the circle "a American
lindens were removed. The Amert-
can linden is not considered desir-
able because its leaves begin to turn
brown in midsummer.
Replacement Program.
Under the replacement program,
Capt. Whitehurst said, there will be
but a single row of trees along Six
teenth street on either side Of the
circle. These will be spaced about
go instead OF 80 TO 40 feet apart,
thus leaving room for well-rounded
growth and space for street lights,
often hidden by closely planted
trees. According to tree men these
requirements will be Norway naples,
although this has not been definitely
decided.
Those removed on Massachusetts
avenue will be replaced with Euro
pean lindens, a far harder and
smaller -leaved tree, which holds its
green color much later in the sea-
son. 1t is these trees which line
the famous Unter den Linden in
Berlin. A line of such trees borders
Connecticut avenue just north Of
Chevy Chase circle in Maryland.
The l3 tulip trees along Rhode Is.
land avenue will be replaced with
American elms.
Capt. Whitehurst said that the
tulip trees in particular were found
to be in bad shape when workmen
started numbering operations there
a little more than a month ago.
In the case of some limbs, he said.
the saw had scarcely bitten through
/ the bark of some branches when
/ they crashed to the ground. Many
others had no more than IL inches
of solid wood at the trunk and
were completely rotten inside, he
said.
Like Thomas Circle Plan.
Asked if the tree program for
Scott Circle was something like that
followed at Thomas Circle, Capt.
Whitehurst said that almost the
| Identical policy was being followed.
except That all the trees at Thomas
Circle were replaced with red oak,
particularly hardy tree and de-
scribed by tree officials as one
of the two or three best species
for city use. The number cut and
the number replaced at Thomas
Circle, he said, was just about the
same as would be the case Of Scott
Circle.
/ Asked how the small oaks were
doing now, he said it was impossible
| to tell as yet as they had been
planted in 6-by-3-foot holes, feet
deep, and filled with rich earth
and have not had time to extend
their roots beyond this favorable
environment to strike up against
hard clay, utility lines and pave.
ment.
AS for Scott Circle itself, officials
of the Office of National Capital
Parks said its present east-west
dimensions will not be affected and
| its north south axis will be ma
terially heightened to form an
ellipse. 1t will be planted to grass
only as at present, except that some
form of low shrub, such as Japanese
yew. pyracantha or ivy, might be
employed to screen the tops of un-
derpass ventilators.
The DR.. Samuel Hahnemann and
Daniel Webster Triangles on the
east-west axis Of the circle are to
be draStically simplified. They are
to be Topped off at their points, but
will be added to along their bases.
Ghinko Trees Spared.
The four large ghinko trees which
stand on them, two on each, have
been and will be left intact. the park
Officials said. The weeping cherry
trees, two of which we're planted in
each triangle, and other low shrub
berry has been removed. Both the
cherries and shrubbery had been
seriously damaged by trespassers,
| thev said.
The walks in the triangles will
be relocated, it was said, and the
two park units planted to some form
of low hardy shrub. The same species
will be used to screen the ventilators
as are used to landscape the tri-
angles, they added.
Thus, they pointed out, the four
ghinko trees. which are particularly
fine specimens, will be made the
focal point of the park landscaping.
The curb surrounding the two
triangles may or may not be planted
to street trees, depending on q
! decision as yet unmade.
No official could be found either at
the District Building or at the park
Office who did not belive that, while
the plant surroundings of the new
traffic project would be much sinph-
fed, better appearance would re-
suit in the long run and that main
tenance costs could be materially
L