EDITORIAL AND GENERAL. 



21 



To Contributors. 



The Guide to Nature pays for con- 

 tributions only in the satisfaction that 

 comes to every contributor in having 

 his best work well published for the 

 benefit of other workers. There can 

 be no better remuneration. Therefore 

 your best work in this great "labor of 

 love" is solicited and expected. 



You are invited to share in the liberal 

 pay received by the editor and the 

 members of the family who assist him, 

 and that is the joy of doing faithful 

 work in a cause than which there is 

 none better on this earth. 



Every cent of income from The; 

 Guide; to Nature; and from The 

 Agassiz Association is placed on the 

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 mailing. This book is audited once a 

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 tributor or AA member. 



Label the Trees. 



One of our subscribers called at- 

 tention to the fact that the trees in 

 Central Park of New York City are 

 not labelled as in most other parks. 

 The letter was referred to the Depart- 

 ment of Parks, New York City. The 

 following is the astonishing explana- 

 tion of the Commissioner : 



Your letter of the 22nd received. 

 An effort was made, some time ago. 



to label the trees in Central Park, 

 but was found impracticable. Mis- 

 chievous people changed the signs and 

 others, destructively inclined, mu- 

 tilated and broke them and on the 

 whole it was found impossible to main- 

 tain them. A police force of sufficient 

 number could not be maintained to 

 protect the signs and they were there- 

 fore discontinued." 



Henry Smith. 

 Commissioner of Parks, 

 Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond. 



This letter was referred to our sub- 

 scriber with the result that the fol- 

 lowing sensible arguments were ad- 

 vanced : 



"I am so glad you are to take up 

 the matter of the park trees and wish 

 you all success in it. Many nature 

 students will be grateful to you be- 

 side myself. That Commissioner 

 evidently does not appreciate the fact 

 that 'Difficulties are meant to rouse, 

 not discourage.' I hope the way will 

 be opened speedily for it. without mak- 

 ing you too much trouble." 



The following extracts from the 

 correspondence of our subscriber nice- 

 ly state a nature student's "reason 

 why" trees in a public park should 

 be labelled : 



"I have often felt the total lack of 

 any information concerning trees or 

 any growing things in the park. In 

 Boston, Washington and other places 

 the trees are named for the would be 

 learner and so it ought alwavs to be 



