dana] THE FORESTRY EXHIBITION 155 



curious and historic trees. As it now stands it is the outcome 

 of the interest taken in our original plan by the Forestry Depart- 

 ments of the national government and the several states — very 

 notably New Jersey — ; by the Park Commissions of many 

 cities and states — and notably that of Essex County — ; by 

 Municipal Improvement Associations, landscape gardeners, 

 nurserymen, botanical gardens, and notably by the Newark 

 Shade Tree Commission. 



The first object of this exhibition, as of all those which the 

 Library has held, is to put before the people of our city instruc- 

 tive material in an interesting and attractive way. The city has 

 wisely built for itself a librarv building — no city has built itself 

 a better one for the purpose — large enough for many years to 

 come and containing many rooms not now needed for strictly 

 library purposes. Exhibitions like this one are here convenientlv 

 arranged and seem to come naturally within the library's field 

 of work. The record which follows of 40 exhibits in the past 

 five years with a total attendance of 229,317 shows that the 

 custom meets with approval. 



Another object of the exhibition is, of course, to draw attention 

 to the library and to lead our citizens who maintain it to visit 

 it, enjoy it and make use of its books. 



A third object — and we hope this will not be thought un- 

 important because placed last — is to call the attention of young 

 and old to the glories of the trees, their beauty, and the charm 

 they add to the city which possesses them, to the value of our 

 forests as a national asset and to the need of jealously guarding 

 them against those who would selfishly injure them. 



The library has many good books on trees, their study and 

 their cultivation, and on all aspects of forestry. It has also 

 many interesting pamphlets, published chiefly by National and 

 State Forestry Departments, for free distribution. 



