A STUDY OF OUE FORESTS. 57 



better, more shade trees are planted, and more attention is given to 

 beautifying private grounds. The adornment of front yards and 

 porches with vines and flowers is increasing every year. Many causes 

 have been at w^ork to produce this result: The broadening influence 

 of travel, which brings people in touch with what is done in other 

 places to ])romote beauty; the work of schools; newspaper and 

 magazine articles; and women's clubs everywhere. 



In many places, flower and vegetable seeds are distributed free, or 

 at a nominal cost, to the school children; prizes are offered for the 

 best garden, the largest vegetables, the most attractive back yard, the 

 best arranged flower bed, and other efforts of similar nature. 

 ~ A country where beauty meets the eye at every turn invites the 

 tourist and the homeseeker, is deeply loved by its people, and is an 

 inspiration to poetry and art. It rests largely with us to decide 

 whether our own land shall be such an ideal place. 



— Froui Gi^egory's " Tlie Clieckiug of the Waste." 



HOW TO PLANT A TREE. 



The Department of Agriculture at Washington gives the follow- 

 ing suggestions for planting trees: 



The proper season for planting is not everywhere the same. When the plant- 

 ing is done in the spring, the right time is when the frost is out of the ground 

 and before budding begins. 



The day to plant is almost as important as the season. Sunny, windy weather 

 is to be avoided. Cool, damp days are the best. Trees can not be thrust care- 

 lessly into a rough soil and then be expected to flourish. They should be 

 plautetl in properly worked soil, well enriched. If they can not be planted im- 

 mediately after they are taken up, the first step is to prevent their roots drying 

 out In the air. This may be done by piling fresh dirt deep about the roots or 

 setting the roots in mud. 



In planting they should be placed from 2 to 3 inches deeper than they stood 

 originally. Fine soil should always be pressed firmly — not made hard — about 

 the roots, and 2 inches of dry soil at the top should be left very loose to retain 

 moisture. 



APPLESEED JOHN. 



Many years ago before the great Northwest was settled, and while 

 even a large part of New York and Pennsylvania was still a wilder- 

 ness, there lived a man who spent a large part of his time in what 

 many people considered a foolish occupation. His name was John 

 Chapman, and, according to tradition, he went through what is now 

 western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana before the forests were 

 cut away and planted orchards for the settlers who, he was sure, 

 would come later. Many stories have been told of this remarkable 



