l^Vinter Meeting.. 243 



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or side yards where such grouping can be most profitably and advant- 

 ageously done without a dollar of expense to the city, if we will but call 

 the attention of the owner to its beauty and value. 



What do we plant when we plant the tree? 

 A thousand things that we daily see: 

 We plant the staff of our country's flag, 

 We plant the shade from the hot sun free — 

 We plant all these when we plant the tree." 



In this planting, therefore, we want to understand the nature of the 

 tree. What it is, how it grows, what are its working parts, how it 

 eats and drink and sleeps. First of all then we must ever rememljcr 

 that the tree is alive. It is alive, and because it cannot move, like our 

 dumb animals, and cannot talk like our children, yet it is none the less 

 alive, and it will bend in obedience like our dogs and respond in answer- 

 ing our questions like our children if we can only understand its talk. 



"The breeze-like music wandering o'er the boughs. 

 Each tree a natural harp— each different leaf 

 A different note, blent in one vast thanksgiving." 



The working parts of the tree, and the talking parts also, arc tb.e 

 roots, branches and leaves, and if we follow nature in the treatment of 

 these, listen to the pleadings of these trees, and answer them, then 

 we will see the result in vigorous, thrifty growth and abundant health- 

 ful shade. But if we injure or abuse them, they suffer as does our 

 horse under mistreatment. If they could, most of our trees would 

 spend a large share of their time in weeping over their injuries as 

 does the child when abused. 



"Little flowers, if I could understand 

 What you are, root and all, all in all, 

 I would understand what God and man is." 



Do you think this an idle tale, then go to the various sensitive 

 plants and see how quickly they will shrink from the slightest touch, 

 or examine the weeping trees of Australia and see the tears the}^ shed 

 from abuse or neglect. So I say in a mild way do all our trees suffer 

 from neglect, from carelessness, from ignorance, from abuse, from 

 injuries. If we will but always remember this we will have less dead 

 and dying trees on our streets. 



"But, lest some of you doubt them, 

 I'll whisper the secret, now, seeing it is you — 

 I've tried them and know all about them." 



The roots need to be in the ground and the tree needs all of its 

 roots, and so when we take up a tree w^e must take up all the roots we 

 can get, and we must keep them in as near the condition they arc 

 while in the ground as can possibly be done. You might just as well 

 expect a fish to live out of water as a tree to live with its roots lying 



