Trees Best For Screening
1. Hemlock (_Tsuga canadensis_)
Will stand shearing and will screen in winter as well as in summer.
Plant from 2 to 4 feet apart to form a hedge.
2. Osage orange (_Toxylon pomiferum_)
Very hardy. Plant close.
3. English hawthorn (_Crataegus oxyacantha_)
Flowers beautifully and grows in compact masses. Plant close.
4. Lombardy poplar (_Populus nigra var. italica_)
Forms a tall screen and grows under the most unfavorable conditions.
Plant 8 to 12 feet apart.
Quality of trees: Trees grown in a nursery are preferable for
transplanting to trees grown in the forest. Nursery-grown trees
possess a well-developed root system with numerous fibrous rootlets,
a straight stem, a symmetrical crown, and a well-defined leader.
Trees grown in neighboring nurseries are preferable to those grown
at great distances, because they will be better adapted to local
climatic and soil conditions. The short distances over which they
must be transported also will entail less danger to the roots
through drying. For lawn planting, the branches should reach low to
the ground, while for street purposes the branches should start at
about seven feet from the ground. For street planting, it is also
important that the stem should be perfectly straight and about two
inches in diameter. For woodland planting, the form of the tree is
of minor consideration, though it is well to have the leader well
defined here as well as in the other cases. See Fig. 95.
When and how to procure the trees: The trees should be selected in the
nursery personally. Some persons prefer to seal the more valuable
specimens with leaden seals. Fall is the best time to make the
selection, because at that time one can have a wider choice of
material. Selecting thus early will also prevent delay in delivery
at the time when it is desired to plant.
When to plant: The best time to plant trees is early spring, just before
growth begins, and after the frost is out of the ground. From the
latter part of March to the early part of May is generally the
planting period in the Eastern States.
Where one has to plant both coniferous and deciduous trees, it is
best to get the deciduous in first, and then the conifers.
How to plant: The location of the trees with relation to each other
should be carefully considered. On the lawn, they should be
separated far enough to allow for the full spread of the tree. On
streets, trees should be planted thirty to thirty-five feet apart
and in case of the elm, forty to fifty feet. In woodlands, it is
well to plant as close as six feet apart where small seedlings are
used and about twelve feet apart in the case of trees an inch or
more in diameter. An abundance of good soil (one to two cubic yards)
is essential with each tree where the specimens used are an inch or
two in diameter. A rich mellow loam, such as one finds on the
surface of a well-tilled farm, is the ideal soil. Manure should
never be placed in direct contact with the roots or stem of the
tree.
Protection of the roots from drying is the chief precaution to be
observed during the planting process, and for this reason a cloudy
day is preferable to a sunny day for planting. In case of
evergreens, the least exposure of the roots is liable to result
disastrously, even more so than in case of deciduous trees. This is
why evergreens are lifted from the nursery with a ball of soil
around the roots. All bruised roots should be cut off before the
tree is planted, and the crown of the tree of the deciduous species
should be slightly trimmed in order to equalize the loss of roots by
a corresponding decrease in leaf surface.
The tree should be set into the tree hole at the same depth that it
stood in the nursery. Its roots, where there is no ball of soil
around them, should be carefully spread out and good soil should be
worked in carefully with the fingers among the fine rootlets. Every
root fibre is thus brought into close contact with the soil. More
good soil should be added (in layers) and firmly packed about the
roots. The last layer should remain loose so that it may act as a
mulch or as an absorbent of moisture. The tree should then be
thoroughly watered.
After care: During the first season the tree should be watered and the
soil around its base slightly loosened at least once a week,
especially on hot summer days. Where trees are planted on streets,
near the curb, they should also be fastened to stakes and protected
with a wire guard six feet high. See Fig. 95. Wire netting of
1/2-inch mesh and 17 gauge is the most desirable material.
Suggestions for a home or school nursery: Schools, farms, and private
estates may conveniently start a tree nursery on the premises and
raise their own trees. Two-year seedling trees or four-year
transplants are best suited for this purpose. These may be obtained
from several reliable nurseries in various parts of the country that
make a specialty of raising small trees for such purposes. The cost
of such trees should be from three to fifteen dollars per thousand.
The little trees, which range from one to two feet in height, will
be shipped in bundles. Immediately upon arrival, the bundles should
be untied and the trees immersed in a pail containing water mixed
with soil. The bundles should then be placed in the ground
temporarily, until they can be set out in their proper places. In
this process, the individual bundles should be slanted with their
tops toward the south, and the spot chosen should be cool and shady.
At no time should the roots of these plants be exposed, even for a
moment, to sun and wind, and they should always be kept moist. The
little trees may remain in this trench for two weeks without injury.
They should then be planted out in rows, each row one foot apart for
conifers and two feet for broadleaf trees. The individual trees
should be set ten inches apart in the row. Careful weeding and
watering is the necessary attention later on.
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Tree Studies
How To Identify Trees
Group I The Pines
The White Pine (pinus Strobus)
The Pitch Pine (pinus Rigida)
The Scotch Pine (pinus Sylvestris)
Group Ii The Spruce And Hemlock
The Norway Spruce (picea Excelsa)
Hemlock (tsuga Canadensis)
Group Iii The Red Cedar And Arbor-vitae
Red Cedar (juniperus Virginiana)
Arbor-vitae; Northern White Cedar (thuja Occidentalis)
Group Iv The Larch And Cypress
The European Larch (larix Europaea)
Bald Cypress (taxodium Distichum)
Group V The Horsechestnut, Ash And Maple
The Horsechestnut
The White Ash (fraxinus Americana)
Sugar Maple (acer Saccharum)
Silver Maple (acer Saccharinum)
Red Maple (acer Rubrum)
Norway Maple (acer Platanoides)
Box Elder (acer Negundo)
Group Vi Trees Told By Their Form: Elm, Poplar, Gingko And Willow
American Elm (ulmus Americana)
Lombardy Or Italian Poplar (populus Nigra, Var Italica)
Gingko Or Maidenhair Tree (gingko Biloba)
Weeping Willow (salix Babylonica)
Group Vii Trees Told By Their Bark Or Trunk: Sycamore, Birch, Beech,
Blue Beech, Ironwood, And Hackberry
The Sycamore Or Plane Tree (platanus Occidentalis)
Gray Or White Birch (betula Populifolia)
American Beech (fagus Americana)
Blue Beech Or Hornbeam (carpinus Caroliniana)
Hackberry (celtis Occidentalis)
Group Viii The Oaks And Chestnut
White Oak (quercus Alba)
Black Oak (quercus Velutina)
Red Oak (quercus Rubra)
Pin Oak (quercus Palustris)
Chestnut (castanea Dentata)
Group Ix The Hickories, Walnut And Butternut
Shagbark Hickory (hicoria Ovata)
Mockernut Hickory (hicoria Alba)
Black Walnut (juglans Nigra)
Group X Tulip Tree, Sweet Gum, Linden, Magnolia, Locust, Catalpa,
Dogwood, Mulberry And Osage Orange
Tulip Tree (liriodendron Tulipifera)
Sweet Gum (liquidambar Styraciflua)
American Linden (tilia Americana)
The Magnolias
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Informational