SHADE TREES. 27 



H. Weld Fuller stated that some of the newspapers contained 

 articles of late, raising the question whether or not phosphates 

 and Paris green were poisonous to the ground. 



Mr. Rand said that he had found white pine needles an excellent 

 winter covering for his strawberry beds. 



Mr. Garfield said that he had sold five huudred dollars' worth of 

 strawberries from a quarter of an acre, and he thought he could 

 afford to manure at the rate which Mr. Moore deemed so extrava- 

 gant, but land would not need to be manured so heavily every 

 year. 



MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. 



Saturday, January 23, 1875. 



The discussion was opened with the following paper on 



Shade Trees. 



by john g. barker. 



The embellishment of our homes and the grounds surrounding 

 them, is a subject that has often been upon my mind, and although 

 by no means new to an}" one present, it is one that will bear a 

 few moments' consideration. The taste for such things is perhaps 

 not very strong with many, and thus while the supply of the more 

 needed wants and the gratification of more pressing tastes are 

 attended to, the setting out of trees is put oflT to a more convenient 

 season. I think that to a great extent, a false opinion prevails 

 that trees do not add much to the value of an estate, if we may 

 judge from the ruthless manner in which they are being cut down 

 in many of our cities ; indeed in the city in which I now reside, 

 little regard is paid to them, and it seems to be a sort of under- 

 stood law that if a tree is wanted out of the way by any one, it is 

 sure to come down ; and it is no uncommon thing to see very many 

 of our best trees mutilated by fastening horses to them. In many 

 cases, to facilitate this barbarous treatment of our trees, chains 

 are actually driven in them to fasten the horses to, and I call to 

 mind at this moment some of the finest elms in the city that have 



