102 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



hcas said the best way to get a bad law repealed was to enforce 

 it, and I think the best thing for the tree wardens to do is to 

 interpret the laws for themselves to the best advantage, and go 

 ahead on that basis. If they can get a few test cases, it will 

 keep the matter stirred up, and the next legislature will have 

 some basis to work upon, and to know what the present laws 

 are good for and what they are not good for. I will simply 

 state one or two things that I have done in our town. I have 

 got ready to do them, but I have not done them publicly yet, 

 I find in our town it is very much the same as others, we have 

 signs nailed on to the trees, and also in the center of the town. 

 The trees make very good billboards, and near the town hall 

 they are used to put other notices on. There is a law prohib- 

 iting this and specifying a fine for it, but if I should make any 

 complaint and get any of these people who did not know any- 

 thing about the law into trouble, it would create a sentiment 

 against the tree warden, and against the whole work. It 

 wouldn't be advisable, so I therefore had the law printed,. 

 Section 4447 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, and it 

 reads as follows : "Every person who affixes to a tree in a 

 public way or place a playbill, picture, notice, advertisement, 

 or other thing, whether in writing or otherwise, or cuts, paints, 

 or marks such tree, except for the purpose of protecting it 

 and under a written permit from the tree warden, shall be 

 fined not more than fifty dollars. Every person who wilfuljy 

 injures or defaces an ornamental or shade tree within the 

 limits of a public way or place, shall be fined not more than 

 one hundred dollars." I propose to take ofif, the present post- 

 ers that are on some of these trees, and have this law well 

 advertised over town, and without causing any trouble I think 

 this will accomplish the desired purpose, the law permitting 

 tree wardens to designate certain trees in the highway as 

 public shade trees. In our town there are many strips of 

 woodland through which the highways pass, and while these 

 forests remain there is plenty of shade, and there is no need 

 of designating any shade trees ; but when these forests are cut 

 ofif, which is usually the case when they become of an age 

 that is profitable to cut them ofT. they are cut clean to the 

 highway, and we have a barren strip of brush land for a num- 



