PETERBORO, N. H, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1900. 



I am very much pleased to learn that 

 an effort is beiiio: made i n Jaffrey to pre- 

 serve the natural features of the road- 

 sides, and to leave the trees, shrubs, and 

 smaller plants to grow as nature plant- 

 ed theui. I am very glad of this oppor- 

 tunity to express to you how deeply I 

 feel upon this subject and to state my 

 reasons from the point of view of the 

 summer boarder. I consider Jaffrey 

 one of the most beautiful towns in New 

 England as well as one of the healthiest, 

 and it is for these two reasons that I 

 have come here regularly since 1889. 

 While the fashionable sea-side and 

 mountain resorts have their followers 

 in great numbers, yet there are thou- 

 sands of people who, like myself, are 

 attracted on account of the natural 

 beauties of the place, to JalTrey and 

 other New England towns. Now one 

 of the chief points of attraction is the 

 country road. We come up here to en- 

 joy nature and to gain strength, and our 

 drives and walks are the great attrac- 

 tions of every day. The features of 

 the road-side are absolntely gone if we 

 miss not only the beautifni trees of 

 which Jaffrey may justly be proud, but 

 also the tangled shrnbbery skirting the 

 way between the road and the wall. 

 This undergrowth is one of the chief 

 beauties in the scenery of the road-side, 

 and forms a setting for the trees and 

 taller shrubs. Every plant that nature 

 has set out is needed to make a harmo- 

 nious whole. 



There is a great interest that is in- 

 creasing every year in the study of na- 

 ture. It has taken during the past few 

 years a strong hold upon the people, 

 and it is astonishing to find how eager- 

 ly the study of plants, birds and insects 

 about us is being pursued. It is becom- 

 ing a feature now in school education 

 I and surely every means should be of- 



fered to aid this longing to know more 

 of nature's ways. A long experience | 

 shows me that it is along the road-side ' 

 that the study of nature can be followed 

 with the greatest ease and with great 

 profit. The features for such study 

 exist here now in a most perfect degree. 

 I appeal to you to use allyout influence 

 to retain these attractions. Do not 

 "clear up" the road-sides by cutting 

 down the very plants that we come up 

 here to^see. Destroy these beautiful 

 borders to your i-oads and the attrac- 

 tions have "gone. Why ! in the land- 

 scape gardening of to-day they are seek- 

 ing to reproduce these natural features 

 of the road-side in our private grounds 

 and our public parks. They have at 

 last realized that nature after all, is the 

 best guide. It is not only your grand 

 old Monadnock, j^our sweeping fields, 

 rolling hills and glorions woods that we 

 love, it is also the beautiful country 

 roads, lined with nature's garden, in 

 which birds without number speud the 

 summer with us. 



I speak not only for those of us who 

 come to Jafl"rey for the summer holi- 

 days, but for the children of the town. 

 Oii the road-side there is ever before 

 them an object lesson. He who knows 

 all the plants, birds and insects by the 

 way, is far ahead in those branches of 

 science that deal with these objects 

 about us, and he will make a better 

 man for knowing more of nature's 

 secrets. I hope that these studies are 

 carried on in your schools here. 



The amount of information that the 

 road-side can impart to him who seeks 

 it is unlimited. One day I took a short 

 walk along a country 'road in New 

 Hampshire, where the road-side tangle 

 was left untouched. It did not harm 

 the road, and it did not encroach upon 

 the field beyond. Out of curiosity I 

 began to note the plants along the way. 



Iu~Ten minutes, of trees, shrubs and 

 smaller plants I had written down sixty- 

 live species. It is this feast for the eye 

 and the mind that makes your roads so 

 attractive. 



I can say without reservation that I 

 know of no place where there are such 

 exquisite drives as you have here in 

 Jaffrey. It is an easy matter to destroy 

 the beauty of these drives. If this 

 should be done and the great attraction 

 that calls us here removed I fear that 

 many would seek other places where 

 their daily walks and drives would still 

 be among the trees and shrubs. Im- 

 prove and widen your roads in places, 

 if necessary, but do not touch their 

 beautiful borders. 



I know very well the sti-ong feeling 

 that exists among the summer visitors 

 to Jaffrey in regard to this preservation 

 of the road-sides, and I cannot but feel 

 that there are many, living here, who 

 would grieve at the destruction of 

 these natural features. The drive to 

 Dublin along the road past the "Ark" 

 is deservedly known far and wide for 

 its natural beauties, and he surely must 

 be blind indeed, who could bear to have 

 any of these beauties destroyed. It is 

 a privilege to live amidst such scenes. 



I am very glad that your Grange is 

 taking up not only the very important 

 material side of the life of those about 

 you, but also that side which appeals to 

 the finer perceptions of our nature. 

 These perceptions we all possess to a 

 greater or less degree, and in the name 

 of those of us who come into your town 

 every summer to enjoy with you the 

 privileges offered by your exquisite 

 scenerv I beg you to use all your in- 

 fluence in persuading your friends and 

 neighbors that the road-side features of 

 the town are among the chief attrac- 

 tions of Jaffrey. Walter Deane. 



