EASTERN SHADE TREE CONFERENCE 
New York Botanical Garden 
December 8, 9, 1938 
ADDRESS OF WELCOME 
By W. J. Robbins 
Mr. Chairman , Ladies , and Gentlemen: 
It is a great pleasure for me, as director of the New York Botanical 
Garden, to welcome you to the Eastern Shade Tree Conference and to 
extend to you the facilities and hospitality of the Garden. I am sure 
that your conference will result in definite advance in solving the numer¬ 
ous problems associated with shade trees, problems which have been 
dramatically brought to our attention by the destruction resulting from 
the recent hurricane. Such an event brings sharply to our mind how 
important shade trees are in our scheme of living. We are too likely to 
accept them as parts of our world, parts which just happen, placing 
them in much the same category as other natural phenomena which 
come into being without thought or foresight on our part; until we are 
reminded by such wholesale destruction as the hurricane caused, that 
trees are living growing things which only time, foresight, and care can 
give us. Terrible as the loss through the destruction of houses and 
other buildings may have been, they can be rebuilt in a year or two but 
to replace many of the magnificent trees now lying in ruin will require a 
century or more. 
I hope that during your conference here you will have time to become 
acquainted with The New York Botanical Garden, that you will visit 
our fine library on the third floor of this building, that you will view the 
newly reconstructed conservatory of which we are very proud, and that 
you will wander through our hemlock forest which has been described as 
“the most precious natural possession of New York City”. We feel 
fortunate indeed that the destruction in our Garden was not extensive. 
Our sympathy with less fortunate neighbors and our desire to help them 
is no less great because we escaped. If there is any way in which the 
staff of the Garden may be of assistance to you during your stay here 
and after, I hope you will not hesitate to call upon us. 
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