THE GARDEN BOOK OF CALIFORNIA 



cares for it, and cherishes it, and protects it against the line- 

 man, and gives it a drink of water in unusually dry seasons — 

 he it is who deserves to be eulogized by posterity. 



I, who am almost a lifelong Californian — so nearly one 

 that I can conveniently forget the first few lisping years when 

 I didn't know enough to clamor for my right to go west and 

 grow up with the country — I, who have known Southern 

 California in both wet and dry years, and have seen thou- 

 sands of trees planted only to be forgotten and neglected and 

 to die, would plead that we have more genuine tree lovers, 

 who will plant and protect. Our slogan in this war against 

 the forces of the desert should be "Plant and Protect." 



I am inclined to think that perhaps we have throughout 

 the State sought a little too eagerly for trees with persistent 

 and evergreen foliage. It is natural that, with our open 

 seasons and perpetual sunshine, we should incline this way; 

 but the elm, the maple, the Oriental plane or sycamore, the 

 poplar, the horse-chestnut, are all as beautiful in Cali- 

 fornia as they were in the Eastern home, and just as de- 

 serving of a place by the roadside. 



Then in our admiration of the spreading pepper tree, 

 have we not sometimes overlooked the fact that, after all, 

 along the ordinary roadside, we do not need the heavy shade 

 in Southern California and on the coast, and that less 

 "ground space" is taken up by the trees that grow straight 

 and with slender trunks? 



The intelligent planting of one mile of trees is worth the 

 whole of five miles planted at haphazard. 



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