1900.] ESSAYS. 53 



The committee's desire was to encircle the city trees with 

 strong wire netting six feet in height to prevent gnawing by 

 horses, :is they considered the damage done by horses greater 

 than by overhead wires or underground pipes. 



Many times during the three years of working and waiting 

 they had cause to remember the psalm that reads, k ' Mope de- 

 ferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire eomcth it is as 

 ;i tree of life," when a letter from the mayor announced that 

 rive thousand dollars had been granted as an initial appropriation 

 for the protection of the city trees. 



The work of guarding by wire is begun, and the club has every 

 reason to expect that every street tree will, in time, be healed 

 of its wounds, guarded by wire, cleaned, trimmed and restored 

 to health and beauty ; and this is a service work that the Rox- 

 burghe Club of Boston will have done for its native city. 



In response to the public sentiment aroused in Boston on the 

 subject of tree planting and tree preservation, Mr. Doogue, 

 Superintendent of Public Grounds, has generously offered one 

 thousand trees to those who will plant them along the highways, 

 as many as possible to be planted during Arbor Day week. 



This is practical encouragement for Arbor Day celebrations 

 of the kind we need ; an example, it is to be hoped, that will be 

 followed by City Foresters and Tree Wardens throughout the 

 State. Tree lovers will watch with interest the progress made 

 by our newly elected Tree Wardens, toward beauty in our towns. 

 May they wisely sow seeds for the future harvest by encourag- 

 ing tree planting among the towns' children. 



Let us then inform ourselves on forestry, invite lecturers to 

 instruct us in practical tree planting, study our local conditions, 

 induce street surveyors to spare wayside trees and shrubbery, 

 call attention through the press to the destruction by wires, 

 pipes, insects and horses, ask buil tiers to box trees during build- 

 ing, and if we can plant but one tree, plant it on a hot dusty 

 highway or in a school-yard. Let us add a new chapter to Arbor 

 Day history on the last Saturday of next April, and let our title 

 be "PLANT TREES." 



