Part I

Plant a Street Tree. It is Important to Observe Every Point Indicated in the Diagram. : STREET TREES. 9 Hoiv to keep trees healthy. Any tree will resist insects and disease, and will recover from injury much more readily if it is vig- orous and healthy than if it is weak. Observe the following rules Never let a sidewalk be laid closely about a tree; a surface of bare; earth (footing) at least 2 by 3 feet, preferably 4 by 8 feet, should be kept (figs. 2, 3, 5) ; when a tree is fully established this may be grassed over, tho it is advisable to keep it open. Once a year work a little fertilizer into this open space and water it at intervals as directed at page 13. -- Fig. 4. A Young Street Tree. Failing Thru Lack of Care Of Poor Form, with Branches too Low, It is Crowded in a Brick Pavement, Has no Stake and Only a Short, Frail Guard. Fig. 5. A Young Street Tree of Good Form, Properly Planted and Well Cared For Guard, Stake, Footing as They Should Be. If a young tree is exposed to winds or other strain, keep it firm and upright by means of a stout stake to which the stem is secured in such fashion that it will not be rubbed (fig. 5). Unless the tree is so placed that it cannot be gnawed by horses maintain a stout 10 SHADE TREE GUIDE. guard about it (figs. 5, 7). Apart from the pruning required when a tree is planted most trees should be allowed to develop naturally. Pruning as frequently practiced in butchery. (See p. 19 and fig. 12.) Allow no tree to support a guy wire except under necessity. In that case, and only if the tree is strong and healthy, let an eye bolt be driven into the heart, or all the way thru, and the guy wire attached to that ; no form of band should be tolerated except tempo- rarily in an emergency. Fig. 6. Trees Should Not Be Used to Anchor Guy Wires Except in an Emergency. --A Never Attach a Guy in This Way. --B A Temporary Guy Should Have Wood Blocks Under the Wire. --C If a Tree is Sound, a Lag Screw Driven Into the Heart Will Hold a Guy Wire and Do Least Harm. Lawn Trees Planting. Any tree with ample space about it requires only to be secured against injury and to be supplied with food and water. Deciduous trees should be planted exactly as recommended for street trees except that stakes and guards are rarely required. Evergreen trees, and a few deciduous species with succulent roots, as Red Gum, must invariably be moved from the nursery with the roots embedded in a ball of earth. When the hole has been pre- pared and good earth supplied, loosen the bagging that encloses the ball and set the tree with the earth still about its roots. As a rule lawn trees, like street trees, do best when planted in early spring, tho evergreens allow greater latitude and often thrive when moved in August. When that is done it is important to guard them against strong winds in winter. Lawn trees ordinarily require less care than street trees, but a circle at least 3 feet in diameter should be kept without sod about the base of a newly planted tree of whatever kind, and the soil within it worked frequently, until the tree is firmly established. Grass LAWN TREES. ii may then be allowed to grow, altho it is advisable to maintain the opening continually as a guard against injuring the base of the tree by the lawn mower. "Wells" and mounds. If the level of the ground about an old tree is changed a "weir' must be built in a fill to keep the soil away from the trunk and to avoid smothering the roots, or a mound left on a cut to prevent exposure. _ it -- Fig. 7. Four Types of Tree Guards. A Standard in Washington, D. C. Made of Wood and Very Strong. It Also Serves as a Support, but is Unsightly and Not Cleanly. Cost -- About $1.50. B Made of Ornamental Fence Wire. Too Frail to be of Much Value -- as a Guard and of None as a Support. Cost About $1.00. C Made of Heavy Wrought Iron. Is Attractive, Strong and Durable. -- Cost With Grill About $10. D Made of 1-2 inch Galvanized Iron Screen, with Rubber Hose Buffer at Top. Harbors Insects and Must be Supplemented by a Supporting Stake, but Very Popular. Cost About 80 Cents. Seashore Trees Whether along the streets or upon lawns, trees near the ocean have to contend with poverty of soil, deficient soil moisture and strong winds, those of winter in particular. It is useless to try to -- maintain trees where they can be reached by ocean spray say with- in 200 feet of high water. Beyond that point it is simply a question of choosing hardy species and strengthening sterile soil. : : 12 SHADE TREE GUIDE. Fertilizer. It is not necessary to transport inland soil, the poor- est sand may be treated thus Add to the native soil: Oyster shell lime Wood ashes Composted (not fresh) manure Or as a substitute for the manure, 9 2^/2 50 not pounds in addition, A mixed fertiliser composed of 2 parts tankage 2 " ground fish 3 " acid phosphate 3 " muriate potash . 2l /2 pounds The quantities named are enough for 100 square feet of ground. As root spread is assumed to be equal to crown spread, a tree with a crown 6 feet in diameter will have roots covering about 30 square feet and will require three-tenths of the above. Do not use more or the trees will be injured. Apply the fertilizer every spring; the lime and wood ashes every three or four years. As a sandy soil is always porous frequent and abundant watering is necessary. Support. Until it is firmly established every tree exposed to strong winds must be firmly supported by a stout stake or by three or four wires secured to pegs firmly driven into the ground. This is even more important in winter than in summer. What to plant. For street planting the choice of species should be limited to sycamore, ailanthus, pin oak, scarlet oak, red oak, hackberry, honey locust, red maple, and in most situations preference given in the order named, altho it is not advisable that too many of the same kind be used. Upon lawns oaks and pines, with various hardy shrubs, are to be preferred to the firs, spruces and cypresses, and the many deciduous trees, that are available inland. Nourishment More trees suffer from starvation than from anything else. On lawns as on sidewalks a tree's natural food (fallen leaves, etc.), is taken away, water is denied and both rain and air are excluded by close pavements, or by sod. The consequent weakened condition induces disease and insect attack. Don't plant a tree unless it can have at least 6 square feet of open soil at its base. For several years after a tree is planted this is imperative, afterwards sod, not pav- ing, may be tolerated. Frequent working of the surface soil, as in any garden, will tend to keep a tree in good condition. : NOURISHMENT. 13 Water. Street trees require more water than lawn trees because their roots are apt to be restricted and because sun-heated pave- A ments and buildings increase transpiration. good rule is to see that the ground about a tree is soaked once a week. If rain fails use the hose or a pail. Sprinkling, tho done frequently, is only a little better than nothing. Too frequent soaking will exclude the air and cause the roots to. rot. When the ground has dried after a wetting, rake the surface to check evaporation. � If the ground does not dry within an hour too much water has been applied. Food. In the forest, and in neglected places, nature provides trees with food. Along the streets and on well-kept lawns it must be furnished. If a tree shows thin foliage, slender branches or a dead top starvation may be suspected. The best fertilizer is com- posted (not fresh) manure. In the spring spread it 2 inches deep over as much of the root extension as can be reached and fork it into the soil ; or, tho not so good, put it on December first and let it lie over winter, when what remains can be raked off. On a paved street the fertilizer must be placed in the opening at the tree base, but whenever possible it should be spread away from the trunk and beneath the foliage, where most of the feeding roots are found. If manure is objectionable, apply each spring 1% pounds per 100 square feet of a commercial fertilizer composed as follows Nitrate soda Acid phosphate Muriate potash1 Ground bone For light soils. 1 part 1" 1" 1" For heavy soils. 2 parts 3" 1" 2" Distribute the fertilizer evenly and mix it with the soil ; be careful not to use an excess else the tree roots may be burned. If it is desired simply to sustain an old tree without inducing growth, use a small quantity of manure, or from 1 to 1I/2 pounds per 100 square feet of a mixture containing 1 part nitrate soda, 1 part bone meal, 5 parts acid phosphate. Pruning Trees need to be pruned only (1) when they are transplanted; (2) when they interfere with other trees or structures; (3) when they are weakened by decay or by overgrowth. Much of the pruning done by so-called experts is useless or even harmful. Most trees should be allowed to develop according to their natural habit. When pruning is permissible the following rules apply. When transplanted, a tree must have its crown cut back to bal- ance the inevitable loss of roots. See figure 3, and observe that useless interior branches are removed entirely. Form. If a tree grows one sided, if its branches interfere with a building, or with another tree, curtail or cut out entirely the aggres- ^ood ashes may be substituted at the rate of 10 pounds to 1 pound of muriate potash. 14 SHADE TREE GUIDE. sive member. With few exceptions trimming the ends of branches is wrong and cutting off the whole top is butchery. Branches which hang too low should not be trimmed, but cut back to the trunk or main branch. If branches grow so