WASHINGTON SCHOOLS VOTE FOR THE OAK AS 



THE NATIONAL TREE 



FOLLOWING an 

 educational cam- 

 paign of three 

 months by the Nature 

 Study Department of 

 the Washington, D.C., 

 public schools, in 

 which the Washington 

 Evening Star co-oper- 

 ated, the grade pupils 

 voted by a big ma- 

 jority for the oak as 

 the national tree in 

 the referendum which 

 the American Forestry Association is taking through- 

 out the country. 



A tree work exhibition closed the educational cam- 

 paign. This was put on at the Wilson Normal School, 

 under the direction of Susan S. Alburtis, of the Nature 

 Study Department, and was attended by such crowds for 

 a week that it was continued for three days more. 



GOOD WORK, SAYS REED 



I wish to congratulate the American Forestry Association 

 on the interest that is being aroused among the school chil- 

 dren of the country in forest trees. I see frequent reference in 

 the papers to the vote for a national tree now being taken. I had 

 the pleasure of hearing a dozen or so speeches by eighth grade 

 students at the Wilson Normal School in behalf of their favor- 

 ite trees, and I was very much interested in the tree exhibits 

 in the upper rooms which were then open to the public. Some 

 most excellent work is surely being done. C. A. Reed, Bureau 

 of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture. 



Dr. F. W. Ballou, the 

 s u p e r i n tendent of 

 schools, then ordered 

 the exhibition to be 

 held intact until more 

 than a thousand school 

 superintendents came 

 to Washington from a 

 convention at Atlantic 

 City to see the work 

 of the pupils. 



Too much praise 

 cannot be given Mrs. 

 Alburtis for her work 

 in co-operation with the Association and to the Evening 

 Star for keeping the news of the campaign before the 

 people of Washington and also for printing the official 

 ballot. Mrs. Cary T. Grayson, wife of Admiral Grayson, 

 the physician to President Wilson ; Mrs. Newton D. 

 Baker, Congressman B. H. Snell and Dr. R. W. Shufeldt 

 were on the committee that visited the exhibit on behalf 



National Photo. 



COUNTING THE BALLOTS CAST FOR A NATIONAL TREE BY THE CHILDREN OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 



Nature study teachers of the schools counting 18.000 ballots from the Washington Star which were cast for the choice for a national tree in the 

 referendum being taken throughout the country by the American Forestry Association. Mrs. Susan S. Alburtis is directing the count. At the 

 right is Mrs E. K. Peeples, who brought in a satchel of ballots from various schools. The tree work exhibition at Wilson Normal School was 

 open for ten days and nights because of the big crowds. Dr. F. W. Ballou, the new superintendent of schools, has ordered the exhibition 

 held on display for a thousand visiting school teachers from various parts of the country who arc coming to Washington. 



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