April, 1907 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



87 



of form; which represent the embodi- 

 ment of plastic strength and great 

 viriUt)', is to insensibly shape their 

 moral natures in such ways as to de- 

 velop character and self-reliance, as 

 well as an appreciation of those more 

 gentle graces which contribute so largely 

 to the characteristic quaUties of the 

 cultured and refined. Nor can we 

 doubt that an abundance of well-cared- 

 for shade trees operate as an attrac- 

 tion to visitors and as an actual incen- 

 tive to settlement. The naturally fine 

 shade trees of Montreal constitute one 

 of the features most commented upon 

 by strangers, and it is the same fea- 

 ture which lends such charm to Toron- 

 to, New Haven, Washington, Buffalo, 

 Detroit, and many other cities. 



Turning -our attention briefly to more 

 practical considerations, it is obvious 

 that it is the part of a wise civic policy 

 to see to it that a form of property 

 which possesses so many potentiali- 

 ties for good ; which possesses so large 

 a measure of intrinsic value; which 

 constantly enhances in value with in- 

 creasing age through a long period of 

 time; and which also involves a con- 

 siderable initial expenditure, should 

 be most carefully protected, not only 

 against the far too numerous enemies 

 which Nature herself has provided, 

 but against man himself as the very 

 worst of all the foes with which shade 

 trees must contend. The fact that 

 Massachusetts has expended vast sums 

 of money in its efforts to protect its 

 shade trees against the ravages of in- 

 sect pests; and that in spite of repeated 

 failures, they still persist in the fight 

 and continue to spend large sums of 

 money annually, with a feeling of 

 confidence in ultimate victory, is at 

 once a tribute to the enlightenment 

 of a community which finds it desir- 

 able to put forth such heroic efforts, 

 and a practical proof of the wisdom of 

 such a policy of protection, even though 

 it involve the expenditure of millions 

 of dollars of public money. 



Abundant experience has shown that 

 it is not alone a policy which shall deal 

 with the pests when they arrive, that 

 is wanted, but quite as much a policy 

 of prevention which, ever alert, antic- 

 ipates the coming evil and adopts 

 such measures as will render its further 

 operations ineffective. If all this mav 

 be said with respect to remedial and 

 protective measures where natural ene- 

 mies are concerned, it is certainly a 

 penny-wise and pound-foolish policy 

 which will expend thousands of dollars 

 upon the destruction of insects and 

 other natural foes, and at the same 

 time permit man to operate in such 

 ways as to be quite as, if not far more 

 speedily and far more certainly, de- 

 structive. Since the introduction of 

 telegraph, telephone and electric light- 

 ing wires throughout all the thorough- 



Look! and Ask if we Should Not Protect our Trees 



fares of our cities, shade trees have 

 ceased to have any recognized status. 

 A tree which has developed a fine form 

 through the growth of half a century 

 is suddenly deprived of its top or other 

 essential parts and left a maimed and 

 shattered wreck whose mutilated stumps 

 of former members reach up their 

 ragged ends as if in mute appeal for 

 vengeance upon the vandals who have 

 been guilty of such an outrage. The 

 case is somewhat aggravated when an 

 enterprising citizen plants a fine tree, 

 perhaps at considerable expense, and 

 watches with fondest care its gradual 

 development into an object of beauty 

 and utility. Some day he arrives home 

 from his office to find only a wreck of 

 that in which he has taken so much 

 justifiable pride and pleasure. Trees 

 which have been dealt with in such 

 a manner, should be removed at once, 

 for they can never become what Na- 

 ture designed them to be, and their 

 presence cannot fail to exert precisely 

 the opposite effect to that for which 

 they were intended, because of the 

 false standards which they illustrate. 



In justice to the linemen, however, 

 it should be pointed out that while 

 their operations are serious enough, 

 they are by no means the only trans- 

 gressors, since these are found even in 

 the ranks of those who by profession, 

 or at least by occupation, might be 

 supposed to exercise the most intel- 

 ligent and thoughtful oversight and 

 care. The operations of the profes- 

 sional («c) forester, or at least of the 

 man who is paid to fill that r61e, are 

 very often far from what they should 



be. To cut off a limb with a hatchet 

 instead of with a good saw; to cut from 

 above and allow the falling limb to 

 drag a long splinter with it; to leave 

 a projecting stump with a ragged end; 

 or to leave hmbs on the tree long after 

 they have commenced to decay— all 

 these things not only present a most 

 unsightly and unprofessional piece of 

 work, but they one and all invite the 

 entrance of decay and ensure the cer- 

 tain destruction of the tree. 



The time has certainly arrived when 

 every town and city should regard it 

 as a paying investment to plant good 

 trees. This should be done not alone 

 by the city itself, but by property 

 holders as well, who should be encour- 

 aged, in every way, to undertake such 

 work independently. It should then 

 be the further duty of the town or 

 city to guarantee a suitable measure 

 of protection to such trees against the 

 attacks of animals, the lawlessness of 

 street boys who have no higher ideals 

 than delight in the destruction of 

 everything which contributes to the 

 grace and beauty of our streets, the 

 attacks of insect pests and the opera- 

 tion of parasitic fungi. Furthermore, 

 there should be a systematic inspection 

 of all thfe trees each spring. Sporadic 

 efforts in this respect are of very little 

 value, but there should be a well- 

 ordered service which will bring every 

 tree under an intelligent inspection. 

 If accomplished regularly and system- 

 atically, such service need not be cost- 

 ly, and it could be accomplished be- 

 fore the more pressing work of decor- 

 ating the squares with flowers begins. 



