There are a number of trees that bid fair to be useful for road and street planting and ought at least to be tried out; one of these is the mango, Mangifera indica. It has a clean, straight stem, a wide spreading, compact and shapely top. Its long, thick, glossy leaves are exceedingly beautiful, especially when they first develop, as at that time they have a marvellous range of tints varying from pale ashy pink to reddish brown and rich wine color. So far it is generally healthy and free from insect attacks; its fruit is valuable and it stands up against winds well. Several stems often come from each seed and all or only one may be left to grow.

Albizzia Lebbek, Woman's Tongue

Albizzia Lebbek, Woman's Tongue, is a tree much used for road planting in the Old World. I have a splendid specimen in my grounds about nine years planted that has a head more than fifty feet across and forty in height with a trunk diameter in excess of two feet. It has attractive pinnate leaves and heads of silvery and green stamens all summer and it appears to stand well against high wind. Its leaves are retained throughout the greater part of the year, falling in the spring when the new foliage almost pushes off the old. It has not seeded very well here but seed could be imported in abundance. Its broad whitish pods are, however, one of its attractive features.

The Indian Laurel, Ficus Nitida

The Indian Laurel, Ficus Nitida, is not a laurel at all nor any kin thereto, but one of the figs. It has rather small glossy, thick leaves and forms an immense, rounded head of intensely deep green foliage. It has been used in Key West for a street tree with success and is a great favorite for roads in Cuba and many parts of the Orient. It stands hurricanes pretty well and holds its leaves all the year. It may be propagated from seed or by slitting and balling the limbs with sphagnum, or it can be grown from cuttings. Another fig, Ficus religiose, the Sacred Ti, Bo or Pipal Tree of the Hindus, everywhere held sacred in India, will probably make a fairly good road tree. It is a rapid grower, with thick, shining, heart shaped leaves which are drawn out to a long point, and it has a fine rounded head. It is used in Havana as a shade tree on the beautiful Prado and stands hurricanes fairly well.

The Circassian Bean (Adenanthera Pavonina)

The Circassian Bean (Adenanthera Pavonina) is a handsome, spreading tree with delicate, compound leaves and spikes of brownish flowers and spiral pods with brilliant red beans. I have a fine tree some twenty feet high which stands winds well and is a fairly rapid grower. There is another tree in my grounds which I am watching with great interest the Myrobalan (Phyllanthus emblica), which is without doubt one of the loveliest trees, so far as growth and foliage are concerned, that I have ever seen. It has long, wand-like shoots, slender, delicate pinnate leaves and in appearance resembles, to some extent, a bamboo. It is called a large shrub or small tree in the books, but my specimen is twenty-five feet high and has a trunk diameter of over a foot, the result of some six years growth; De Candolle says it becomes a large tree. It would have to be propagated from foreign grown seed until it could be got into bearing here. It is grown as far north as Japan but Reasoner reports that it is not quite hardy at Oneco.

The Mahogany (Swietenia Mahagoni)

The Mahogany (Swietenia Mahagoni) is a native of the Florida keys and the extreme lower mainland of the state, growing in almost any kind of land from swamp to high hammock. Where it has room it makes a handsome tree with a good trunk and a fine spreading head. The leaves are rich green and pinnate, the leaflets one sided and glossy; they remain on the tree until late winter or early spring, suddenly turn yellow and fall, and are quickly replaced by the new foliage. It is a rapid grower and will do well on ordinary pine land with a little fertilizer.

Inga Dulcis

Inga Dulcis is a native of the Oriental Tropics, is cultivated to some extent in the lower part of this state, and is apparently hardy in the Miami region. It has wand-like branches and delicate leaflets in pairs, it has a few small thorns, and seed pods which contain an edible pulp. It is a decidedly ornamental tree of rapid growth, is perfectly at home in the poorest of ordinary pine land, and will get on with little fertilizer and attention. It is sometimes placed in the genus Pithecolobium.

For planting farther north where considerable hardiness is required the water oak (Quercus nigra) should be an excellent street and road tree. It has a magnificent, large round head covered with evergreen foliage of a fine glossy character, is a rapid grower and will do well in any but the poorest soil. The same may be said of the live oak (Quercus virginiana) which is one of the most majestic trees of North America. Q. laurifolia, laurel oak, and Q. phellos, willow oak, are noble trees and should succeed on any fairly good soil. Gordonia lasianthus (Loblolly Bay) is a handsome, native tree with evergreen leaves and large white flowers. It grows in swamps and low grounds but will flourish on much higher, drier ground, and would probably make a fine road and street tree. It is, however, rather short lived. The Magnolia (M. foetida) is one of the most magnificent of trees and it will do exceedingly well on high pine land. Although its large leaves might suffer in high winds I think it would be an excellent road tree in the cooler part of the state.