298 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



is no excuse, miu-h less fur the ea&tern 

 dwellers. 



Our fore-fathers, one generation back, 

 seemed to be possessed with a mania for 

 cutting down trees any and all kinds 

 but their descendants should have ad- 

 vanced far enough to realize the manifold 

 advantages of the forests and in-tead of 

 destroying, create; or in other words, 

 plant trees. 



On every farm, there is always some 

 spot, a neglected fence corner or an 

 .unused spot near house and barn, where a 

 fruit tree might be planted and in a few 

 short years, furnish both fruit and shade. 

 It is said that Germany ha* a quaint 

 custom. The heir to the ducal throtie, on 

 his eighth birthday plants a linden tree 

 in the historic grove of "royal lindens," 

 where his fathers and grandfathers before 

 him have observed the custom by planting 

 a tree on their eighth birthdays. 



If the farmer would commemorate an 

 event of unusual interest by planting a 



tree, he would in his old age have a living, 

 growing diary, each tree marking some 

 event in his life, and serving as a bit of 

 sentiment in his prosaic life, as well as 

 being useful that maple by the front 

 porch was planted on the day his first boy 

 was one year old; (woe betide him if he 

 plants any such "age-revealer"' on his 

 daughter's birthday), and that mighty 

 apple tree by the well was planted the 

 year he and "Ma" were married. It 

 doesn't bear much now, but it is such an 

 old land mark it still .stands. 



The pine by the gate "Ma" planted on 

 the fifth anniversary of their marriage. 

 And that tender shoot over yonder is 

 from the acorn that his little grandson 

 planted last summer to, "make a garden. ; ' 

 No wonder that the poet cried. 



"Oh woodman spare that tree." 



What we want now is a poet to sing to- 

 the farmer 



"Oh farmer plant that tree." 



