Dowrll: Our Forrst Trees 147 



a large and natural park, and now would be the best time for ob- 

 taining such a park, before all the natural forests arc gone. New 

 York City has its Central Park and Bronx Park, Brooklyn has its 

 Prospect Park and others, but what has Staten Island? Silver 

 Lake Park is very small in comparison with the others, since it 

 extends only about one hundred feet west of the lake. If we had 

 all the woodland adjoining the lake we would have at least one 

 respectable park. What we need to do on Staten Island is not to 

 try to plant trees on cleared tracts of land, but to try to preserve 

 our magnificent tracts of woodland before they are cut down. 



"What does he plant who plants a tree? 

 He plants the friend of sun and sky ; 

 He plants the flag of breezes free; 

 The shaft of beauty, towering high; 

 He plants a home to heaven anigh 

 For song and mother-croon of bird, — 

 In hushed and happy twilight heard — 

 The treble of heaven's harmony — 

 These things he plants who plants a tree. 



"What does he plant who plants a tree? 

 He plants cool shade and tender rain, 

 And seed and bud of days to be, 

 And years that fade and flush again ; 

 He plants the glory of the plain ; 

 He plants the forest's heritage ; 

 The harvest of a coming age ; 

 The joy that unborn eyes shall see — 

 These things he plants who plants a tree. 



"What does he plant who plants a tree? 

 He plants, in sap and leaf and wood, 

 In love of home and loyalty. 

 And far-cast thought of civic good — 

 His blessing on the neighborhood 

 Who in the hollow of His hand 

 PTolds all the growth of all our land — 

 A nation's growth from sea to sea 

 Stirs in his heart who plants a tree." 



