PARK AND CEMETERY. 
96 
prove in appearance for many years with the minimum of 
care» and attention. That this is pre-eminently the planting 
for railway station grounds and for railway rights of way- 
goes w'ithout saying among those informed in horticultural 
matters, but cannot be too often reiterated or too urgently 
insisted on for the benefit of interested but less well informed 
people. It should be repeated until every maintenance of 
way man in this country has heard it, and then graciously, 
persuasively and continuously talked about until they all take 
heed, for it is only by the universal use of such planting 
that station environs can be redeemed from their present 
unenviable reputa'tion of places of dreariness, dust and 
cinders. 
A close study of the plans and planting illustrated here- 
with is recommended to every one interested in- improved 
surroundings, not only .of station grounds, but of schools, 
churches and other public buildings, as well as of homes. 
It is the only style of planting combining economy (of 
time and of labor) and permanent beauty. 
Frances Copley Seavey. 
VIEW IN BRIGHTON STATION GROUNDS. 
TYNGSBOROUGH TREE SOCIETY FIRST IN COUNTRY 
At the conference for Village Bet- 
terment held under the auspices of the 
Massachusetts Civic League, reported 
in our last issue. Miss Harriet Ban- 
croft Whitaker, of Tyngsborough, 
Mass., in an interesting paper, giving 
the history of the Tyngsborough Tree 
Society established authoritatively that 
that organization is the oldest society 
devoted to Civic Improvement in the 
state and probably in the country 
since the other claimant for that hon- 
or, The Laurel Hill Improvement As- 
sociation of Stockbridge, is also in 
that state. 
In April, 1844, a dozen of the prom- 
inent men in the, village formed them- 
selves into a tree society whose ob- 
ject was to “improve the village by 
the setting out of trees.” Fortunately 
the original subscription paper was 
carefully preserved by the wife of one 
of these men, Mrs. Augustus Peirce, 
and the following is an attested copy 
of it: 
"We, the subscribers, agree to form 
ourselves into a Tree Society and pay 
one dollar annually toward improving 
the village by the setting out of trees. 
“April, 1844.” 
(Then follow the signatures.) 
"I have been unable up to the pres- 
ent time to find any other records of 
the society except an occasional refer- 
ence to it,” says Miss Whitaker, “so 
that it is impossible to tell what other 
improvements were made. 
"Tyngsborough is beautifully situat- 
ed on the Merrimack river just below 
the New Hampshire line and is one 
of the oldest settlements in that part 
of the state, the first white settler 
haw’ng gone there about 1655. 
"As one comes into the village from 
the southerly side he sees the pictur- 
esque Merrimack on the right, and 
going up the street which was once 
the old stage route to the north, he 
passes between two rows of beautiful 
elm trees whose branches in some 
places make a complete arch over- 
head. Just before reaching the village 
church in the square he passes the 
town common which, with its stately 
trees and the row of colonial houses 
back of it, gives a cool, restful appear- 
ance to the center of the village. 
"Up to 1844 this common must 
have presented quite a different ap- 
pearance, for at that time none of the 
beautiful trees which now cover it 
were standing and the lot was un- 
graded. It was probably used chiefly 
as a playground for the village chil- 
dren, as the schoolhouse stood on an 
adjoining lot. 
At the close of the paper, Mr. 
Henry Turner Bailey, the presiding 
officer, said that this society was not 
only the earliest organized movement 
for village improvement in the state, 
lint probably in the country. 
TYNGSBOROUGH COMMON, TYNGSBOROUGH, MASS. 
Showing trees planted in April, 1844, by Tyngsborough Tree Society. 
Picture taken April 11, 1907, by Miss Grace Whitaker, shows ten inches of snow. 
