MASSACHUSETTS AND HER ELMS 



Massachusetts cherishes her elms far beyond any monetary estimate which 

 might be placed upon them, but some idea of the investment in dollars may 

 help all of her citizens to appreciate more fully the true worth of her principal 

 shade tree. In a recent elm census report, the value estimated for the elms in 

 four Massachusetts cities and towns was conservatively placed at $7,300,000. 



Far in excess of money value, in a hundred ways to which we seldom give a 

 single thought, the elms of Massachusetts really contribute generously to the 

 life, well-being, and happiness of the people throughout the State. If you have 

 not already had occasion to appreciate the extent to which these trees affect 

 your daily life and community associations, take a trip to some part of the 

 United States where shade trees and particularly where elms do not adorn the 

 streets and lawns of the communities. However, if you will, you can appreciate 

 the value of your elms without traveling beyond the limits of your own city 

 or town. Simply walk along one of your elm-shaded streets in midsummer 

 and try to picture to yourself what effect the elimination of the elms would 

 have upon your community. 



Without the elms in Massachusetts one would find barrenness and desola- 

 tion on the streets and commons instead of the charm that has become the 

 legend of New England with the elms. Various ornamental structures for 

 purposes of illumination might be installed as objects of beauty or otherwise to 

 replace lost elms, but these graven substitutes are at best poor seconds for the 

 natural beauty, symmetry, life, and shade of the elms. 



The photographs on the opposite page show a present-day scene in a Mass- 

 achusetts village street and the effect produced by altering a photographic 

 negative to show the same view projected into a future day if our elms should 

 be lost. Only by sustained vigilance can we hope to check any inroads that 

 may be made against the elms by their new enemy — the Dutch elm disease 

 — which is causing serious trouble within fifty miles of our State boundaries 

 to the south and west. 



