FoT May, 1923 



127 



Planting Trees As Memorials 



IX California we have the .greatest trees of the whole 

 world — tlie sequoias, write Tearl LaForce Mayer in 

 California Garden. Tlie sequoias are not only the oldest 

 living- things on earth but they are the tallest trees on 

 earth and yet these are the trees that men have been 

 cutting for boards and shakes and shingles! The known 

 age of many^ of these sequoias which have been cut is 

 from 1,100 to 3,230 years and when they are gone they 

 can never be replaced ! 



John Muir, the great naturalist and tree lover sa}'s ; 

 "The forests of America must have been a delight to God 

 for they were the greatest He ever planted !"' The whole 

 continent was at one time the most beautiful park of the 

 whole globe as we can tell from fossil remains of trees 

 and plants. 



All other civilized nations are compelled to take care of 

 their forests and continually replant them, but the Ameri- 

 cans have been most prodigal in their waste of this mar- 

 velous natural resource. It is but in the past few years 

 that we have begun to wake up to the fact that we must 

 conserve these trees or very soon we will have none. 



Theodore Roosevelt said : "A people without children 

 would face a hopeless future ; a country without trees is 

 almost as hopeless ; forests which are so used that they 

 cannot renew themselves will soon vanish and with them 

 all their benefits. When you help to preserve our forests 

 or to plant new ones you are acting the part of a good 

 citizen." 



And Henry Van Dyke tells us : 



Ht; that planteth a tree is a servant of God ; 

 He provideth a kindness for many generations, 

 And faces that he hath not seen shall bless him." 



Again John Mun- tells us that "Any fool can destroy 

 trees. Through all the wonderful eventful centuries since 

 Christ's time and long before that God had cared for these 

 trees (in America) but He cannot save them from fools — 

 only Uncle Sam can do that.'" 



Everv child should be taught both the material value 

 and the aesthetic value of trees and to love and care for 

 them in every way, and never to deface a tree no matter 

 how large or small it is and no matter where it stands. 



"He who plants a tree his name is blessed ! But for 

 him who ruthlessly destrovs a tree^what shall his name 

 be called in any tongue?" — so says the great Chinese 

 philosopher. 



From the earliest da>s of creatitm men have recognized 

 the psychic personalities among the trees and in the annals 

 of every great religion trees have stood forth prominently. 

 In all great art and literature the subject of trees has been 

 highly accented and the great men of all ages have felt a 

 peculiar kinship with the trees. 



James Russell Lowell speaks of this in the following 

 verse : 



"I care not how men trace their ancestry, 

 To ape or Adam ; let them please their whim ; 

 But I in June am midway to believe 

 A tree among my fair progenitors. 

 Such sympathy is mine with all the race. 

 Such mutual recognition vaguely sweet 

 There is between us, — surely there are tirnes 

 When they consent to own men of their kin. 

 And condescend to me and call me cousin." 



To all those who are well acquaitited with them, trees 

 are living, loving personalities and possess many habits 

 and attributes w'hich most people think are exclusively 

 lunnan. 



Within the last few years the custom of planting trees 

 for memorials has gained greatly in favor and in fact 



what could be a more beautiful memorial than a tree? How 

 much more wonderful to have a lovely green tree living in 

 honor of one than to have the most expensive of stone 

 monuments ? 



Felix Oswald says : "I can think of no more pleasant 

 way of being remembered than by the planting of a tree. 

 Birds will nest in it and fly thence with messages of good 

 cheer. It will be growing while we are sleeping, and will 

 survive us to make others happier." 



"If thou art worn and hard beset 

 With sorrows that thou wouldst forget, 

 Go to the woods and hills ! No tears 

 Dim the sweet look that Nature wears." 



From time immemorial certain trees have always been 

 used to represent certain ideas of spiritual sigiiificance. 

 The palm has always been used to represent victory. It 

 has dignity, poise and strength softened by attractive 

 and kingly grace and it embodies exultation and joy. 



The pine to us is an emblem of immortality. To the 

 Japanese it signifies good luck and is supposed to bring 

 long life and happiness. A pine tree is always seen grace- 

 fully leaning above a Japanese garden gate or at some 

 picturesque spot along the garden wall. 



The orange tree symbolizes prosperity, the olive achieve- 

 ment and so on down the long list of these benefactors 

 of mankind. 



"Hail to the trees ! 

 Patient and generous, mothers of mankind ; 

 .\rching the hills, the minstrels of the wind ; 

 Spring's glorious flowers and Summer's balmy tents. 

 A sharer in man's free and happier sense. 

 The trees bless all. and then, brown-mantled, stand. 

 The sturdy prophets of a golden land." 



FOR AMATEUR DAHLIA GROWERS 



r^IG deep and a good square hole, throw out the subsoil 

 and fill in with good surface soil. 



Do not use too much coarse manure in the hole, better 

 reserve same for a mulch. 



Fine ground bone thoroughly mixed with the soil some 

 time previous to planting, if possible, is a good substitute 

 for manure. A much more dwarf sturdy growth will be 

 obtained with the bone and the probabilitv of more 

 blooms, as bone does not create as much leaf growth as 

 manure. 



Set a good stout stake either before or at the time of 

 planting- ; setting after the plant has started to grow oftei-i 

 disturbs or breaks the roots. 



Take the top out of the plant when a foot high ; this 

 keeps the growth near the base of the plant, no necessity 

 for two or three feet of bare stalk. 



In cutting blooms do not be afraid, cut down good 

 lengthy sprays. Never mind if you do cut some few buds 

 with the spray. The others coming after will be larger 

 and better. 



With some varieties if the side buds are picked oft of 

 the spray (disbudded) it will increase the size and quality 

 of the bloom. 



If vou have a mulch around your plant of sufficient size 

 you can water at any time of the day without baking the 

 soil and the mulch will help retain the moisture. 



Don't work the soil when it is wet. Often failure comes 

 from this cause. — BuUetin of American Dahlia Society. 



Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the 

 ability to investigate systematically and truly all that 

 comes iTuder thy observation in life. — Marcus Aiircuus. 



