ver may come from that tree. He has no better right, perhaps, than
any other citizen of the State of Michigan, but he is there and can get
the first ripe fruit or nuts which come from the tree. THE
PRESIDENT: Are there any further remarks upon this subject? If not,
I have a paper prepared by Prof. A. K. Chittendon, Professor of Forestry
in the Michigan Agricultural College, which I will ask the secretary to
read.

ROADSIDE PLANTING

_Prof. A. K. Chittendon_

The improvement and beautification of our highways is one of the best
investments that can be made. Particularly in the Middle West where we
do not have the panorama of hills and mountains, much of the beauty of
the road depends upon the roadside trees. They frame the long vistas of
farmlands, woods, lakes and rivers and lend enchantment to the road.
Under recent legislation Michigan has taken a leading place in the care
and planting of roadside trees. Provision has been made by the
Legislature for the planting of ornamental and food-producing trees
along the highways and for their protection.

The highways offer an almost limitless field for ornamental planting and
they also offer opportunities for raising certain food producing trees
of which at present the nut trees are the principal species used. A time
may come when we can safely plant fruit trees along the roadside but
until provisions can be made for their systematic care and spraying,
such trees would be liable to spread disease to nearby orchards.

Roadside trees increase the value of adjacent property. They attract
birds and thus assist in keeping down insect pests. They may be used to
prevent erosion on steep slopes. They increase the life of certain kinds
of improved highways by protecting the roadbed from the direct heat of
the sun. They serve as a source of food if nut-bearing or
sugar-producing trees are used. They invite tourists to travel over the
highways. They may serve as a windbreak to prevent the drifting of sand.

Roadside trees may, however, be too close together or by their shade
injure crop production in adjacent fields. Some species of trees are
particularly harmful if planted on the edge of a cultivated field. They
send out their roots under the cultivated land and sap the moisture
essential to plant growth. This can be avoided by using trees with deep
or compact root systems.

The desirability of planting trees of any sort along the highways is
sometimes questioned. There are p