720 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



JV ^mi (Emummtttg (Elfratmagi m 



(TtT HE community tree at Walpole, New 

 l|l Hampshire, the first to be reported to 

 the. American Forestry Association, was 

 planted by the Town Improvement Society of 

 that village as a memorial to the late Judge 

 Henry E. Howland, of New York City. 



Judge Howland was born in Walpole, 

 and during 

 his long and 

 distinguished 

 career never 

 failed to hold 

 his boyhood's 

 home in lov- 

 i n g remem- 

 brance. He 

 was a fre- 

 quent visitor 

 there, and his 

 genial pres- 

 ence, and 

 d e 1 i g h t f ul 

 speeches were 

 a feature of 

 Old Home 

 Day and oth- 

 er celebra- 

 tions. He was 

 a devoted 

 friend and in- 

 terested in 

 e v e r y t h ing 

 that could be 

 of benefit to 

 the town. He 

 loved the beautiful trees which adorn the 

 village streets, and on one occasion suc- 

 ceeded in preventing the destruction of 

 some very fine specimens, ond contributed 

 liberally to the fund which the Improve- 

 ment Society raised for planting new trees 

 to replace those which were dying. 



It was suggested by F. A. Spaulding, 

 president of the Improvement Society, that 



THE BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS TREE AT WALPOLE. 

 NEW HAMPSHIRE, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY PLANTED AS 

 A MEMORIAL IN HONOR OF JUDGE HENRY E. HOWLAND 



an evergreen tree, to be known as the 

 Henry E. Howland Memorial Tree, be 

 planted on the village common, and that 

 it be used as a community tree which should 

 symbolize the lasting affection between 

 Judge Howland and his native place. 

 In order that the meaning of the tree 



may never be 

 forgotten 

 Judge How- 

 land's daugh- 

 t e r , Miss 

 Frances L. 

 Howland, has 

 had set in the 

 concrete of the 

 tract crossing 

 the common 

 beside the 

 tree a marker 

 with this in- 

 scription : 



This Tree Was 



Planted by 

 The Walpole 



Town 

 Improvement 



Society 

 . In Loving 

 Memory of 



Henry Elias 

 Howland 



1835 1913 

 The tree 

 has been il- 

 luminated on 

 every Christmas Eve and on successive 

 nights, except the war Christmas, when, to 

 conserve electricity, the Christmas trees 

 throughout the country were generally dark. 

 The beautiful old custom of singing 

 Christmas carols round the tree has been 

 established, and after that the choristers 

 move on, singing carols outside homes where 

 there are "shut-ins," or where there is illness. 



