63 



I had a letter from Henry Ford's secretarj^, asking for a dozen 

 trees wliicli might be j^lanted at Mr. Ford's place in JNIicliigan. Mr. 

 Ford is doing great good, .so far as tlie saving of tlie forests is eon- 

 eeriu'd. Fie has inmiensc tracts of land where lie is caring for every 

 root and branch. 



Letter from C. F. Bol>ler, Landscape Engineer in Michigan: 



The laws of Michigan, as yon are well aware, encourage the plant- 

 ing of trees and shrubs by the highway authorities, and protect existing 

 roadside trees from injury or destruction. Under those laws con- 

 siderable planting has already been done, and in such planting a liberal 

 use has been made of the nut-bearing varieties of trees, especially the 

 black walnut, which is indigenous to nnich of Michigan. 



Besides the economic value of nut trees, on account of their food 

 products while growing' and their timber products when mature, they 

 are generally very attractive in appearance, and, therefore, very well 

 adapted to roadside planting. 



Roadside development presents a field for considerable study to 

 produce plantings which afford a variety of effects in trees and shrubs, 

 by using varieties best adapted to the soil and climatic conditions, 

 which best harmonize with the local topography and which to a consid- 

 erable extent have an economic value in addition to their ornamental 

 value. Nut trees admirably fulfill these requirements for roadside 

 planting and while I believe that such other desirable varieties of trees 

 as the American elm, the sugar maple, and others, should be used in 

 proper proportions, I am fully convinced that the varieties of nut trees 

 adapted to our soil and climate should be used liberally in the planting 

 of the roadsides of Michigan. 



The plans for the future development of the state trunk line high- 

 ways in this state, contemplate the planting of the black walnut, butter- 

 nut, sweet chestnut, hickory, beech, and other varieties of nut bearing 

 trees in considerable quantities, and I am confident that their use will 

 add to man's enjoyment of the highways and that these trees will be- 

 come an economic asset to the regions where they are planted. 



TiiK FitEsioENT: There is one thing Mr. Ijnton mentioned that I 

 wish to put special emi)hasis upon; the distribution of trees grown 

 from Washington's home. I>ast year ^Ir. Jones sent out a lot of seed- 

 ling walnuts and there are quite a few in Rochester. It was delightful 

 to see the interest manifested by the people receiving those seedlings 



