Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1895 — Dangerous Trees. [ARTICLE]

Dangerous Trees.

A word of warning is necessary as to the proximity of trees to houses. Many old-fashioned rural houses,, as distinguished from the maisons de campagne, are embowered in trees and buried in laburnum. They look delightful in pictures and sound en* chanting in poetry; but there are drawbacks in every mundane sphere, and there are one or two little penalties to pay, even in laburnum land. The nearest tree should be several yards away from the house, and if possible, from every part of the house. We have observed lately, in more than one London suburb, whore an attempt is being made to build dwellings which are at once healthy and picturesque, that houses have been placed within half a yard of old trees, mainly elms. Some of these houses are most certainly built over the roots of trees, and it will require a very liberal supply of good concrete to keep such dwellings dry? A house with trees so near to it must inevitably be dark and damp, for the roots, which are not tlfemselves really damp producers, are damp retainers, for they form an obstacle to the escape of the water which is always moving about in the soil. There is a double danger attaching to the' very close proximity of elms to a house. Altogether, apart from the damp, the elm is a treacherous tree, and, if it bo near enough, is certain sooner or later to drop one of its boughs -through the drawingroom window, or, perhaps, even to break off and knock a hole in the wall. It was only last winter that wo saw an old elm perform this very feat. It was a windy day, and the tree, which was a large one, broke off short at the hole, and was thrown so violently against the house that several windows and the whole of the front portion of the roof was stove in. -