Conservative. 9
ECHOES OF ARBOR DAY.
To Teach Forestry.
J. Sterling Morton , editor of THE CON
SERVATIVE , of Nebraska City , Neb. ,
desires to know who will make a dona-
lion providing for the teaching of
forestry by a regularly established
periodical. A good idea. Fargo ( North
Dakota ) Republican.
Arbor Day and its Observance.
It now seems to be generally known
that ex-Secretary of Agriculture J.
Sterling Morton , of Nebraska , origina
ted Arbor Day in 1872. It is annually
observed in nearly every state. Fargo
( North Dakota ) Republican.
A Living Monument in Every Dooryard.
The attention of the enemies of J.
Sterling Morton is called to the fact that
lie has a monument erected to his
memory in almost every dooryard and
on almost every farm in the country.
And these monuments are living monuments
ments that afford fruit , shelter and com
fort to more people than all other monuments
ments in the world. The name of
Morton will live in trees always
Hastings ( Neb. ) Democrat. '
Plant For Posterity.
Arbor Day is approaching. Blessed
is the man who plants a tree. Alas , for
the man who has been busy denuding
the world of its forest life , and its
arborial grace , without trying to do
something to replace the tree , which it
was necessary , perhaps , for him to con
vert into timber or fuel. Every child
of the public schools in America , every
public school teacher , every public
spirited man and woman should put
something into the ground , during the
months of April or May , a seed or a
slip that will stay and be alive when
they are dead. Not for the sake of
your farm or garden. "What matters it
whether you have a farm or a garden ?
Cause a tree to grow somewhere. It is
the least you can do towards paying the
immeasurable debt which you yourself
owe for the joy you have had from trees ,
which you never planted. Unity , April
25 , 1901.
Practical Aspect of Arbor Day.
Arbor Day may be lacking in Vermont
some of the sentiment and meaning that
the peculiar necessities of the West have
given to it there , but it can be made a
practical holiday here , for all of that.
It need not be given over to formal cele
brations or other time-consuming exer
cises , but the individual husbandman
may , here and there , commemorate the
day by making two trees grow where
only one grew before. The man who
owns forests and sugar woods and finds
that they are being depleted , will look
after his own interests without the in
spiration of any Arbor Day programme.
But Arbor Day can be made the tree-
planting day for the individual , for the
householder who is beautifying his home
place , and for towns and villages that
are laying out parks and preserves or
open streets. There is a matter-of-fact ,
practical aspect to Arbor Day that can
bo taken home by every man , woman ,
and every child old enough to appreciate
the blessing of abundant vegetation.
J. Sterling Morton , the founder of
Arbor Day , came from St. Albans and
Franklin county stock and his father
was born in this city in 1804. His father
was Abner Morton. St. Albans ( Vt. )
Messenger.
Arbor Day in the Schools.
Arbor Day will be celebrated tomor
row by the children of the public schools ,
especially in the country districts. The
Superintendent of Public Instruction
wants to promote the celebration in the
city as well , urging the children to plant
ivies where there is no room for plant
ing trees. A great number of trees are
being planted every year under the
stimulus of the occasion. The Superin
tendent of Public Instruction , through
the liberality of William A. Wadsworth
of Geneseo , is enabled to offer cash
prizes of $100 for the best and $50 for
the second-best kept school-grounds in
the state. Competition is open to all
the district schools of the state. A
photograph or photographs of the school-
grounds must be taken sufficiently large
to afford a fair opportunity of judging.
Accompanying must be a statement as
to when the photograph was taken , and
a diagram , with full explanation , con
cerning the location and character of
walks , the kind and condition of fences ,
the location and kinds of trees and
shrubs. The statement and diagrams
are to be made by trustees of school dis
tricts competing , endorsed by the School
Commissioner having jurisdiction , and ,
together with photograph or photo
graphs , forwarded to the state superin
tendent of Public Instruction before
October 1 , 1901. New York Evening
Post.
Elm Adapted to Grand Island Vicinity.
Today is Arbor Day , which was in
augurated by J. Sterling Morton , of
Nebraska City. Although this day ,
which has been set apart for the partic
ular purpose of planting trees , is of re
cent origin ; tree planting is , in itself , a
primitive industry.
Grand Island would have been today
a veritable grove , had all of the trees
planted here , grown. But the greater
per cent of them were Box Elders , that
have , naturally , a short life , and the
Black Locust , which is so infested by
insects , peculiar to it , that it soon dies.
With this experience , the impression
has been left that Grand Island and
vicinity , is not adapted to any tree. The
idea is erroneous. The Elm and Honey
Locust have proven themselves adapt
able to the climate and soil of this re
gion. Then , too , they are hardy and
long-lived trees.
Most people understand the matter
now , and are putting out mostly Elms.
This is easily seen by observing some of
the best trees in our city , among which
may be mentioned those about the
homes of Messrs. Abbott , Reimers and
Wolbach. These trees were planted
about ten or twelve years ago , and at
the present time are very large , many
of them being a foot in diameter ,
Messrs. J. D. Martin , A. M. Hargis , W.
R. King and Dr. Boy den , are the more
recent planters of large Elms , all of
which are making excellent growth.
It has been frequently the case that
eastern nurseries have sent shrewd
salesmen here , who secured orders for
trees and shrubs , bearing new-fangled
nursery names , which were not adapted '
to our climate or soil , and , consequently ,
blasted many hopes of ever having
trees.
There are several nurseries in Hall
countybut the trees thus far mentioned ,
and , practically , all the largest Elms
in Grand Island , were furnished by
William Stolley , from his nursery just
south of town. Mr. Stolley is not only
one of the pioneers of Hall county , but
he is also a pioneer of the pioneer tree-
men. A very large proportion of the
trees in the city have been secured from
his nursery , and although thousands
have been taken out , they are not
missed from his grove , which has now
grown to be almost a forest. Every
thing may be seen there , from a sprout
to a saw log , three feet in diameter.
Yesterday , while the more elderly
friends of Mr. and Mrs. Stolley were
celebrating the 64th birthday anniver
sary of Mrs. Stolley , W. A. Stolley
kindly showed the reporter the great
Cottonwoods , planted in the early days ,
and the dense groves of Maple , Walnut ,
Elm , etc. The grey squirrels frisked
about , and the scene reminded one of
the Michigan forests. Among the Ever
greens that form the hedgerow , about
the orchard in the interior of the grove ,
the native Cedars are quite prominent
in number , but for beauty the Norway
Spruce , Scotch Pine and Rocky Moun
tain Silver Spruce cannot be excelled.
The pretty bull-rushes brought
thoughts of Moses and the swamp , but
we find they grow on high ground.
The Stolley home is a perfect para
dise in summer , with the rich fragrance
of the flowers , singing birds and hum
ming bees , as one of the largest apiaries
in the state is situated within the beau
tiful grove.
The citizens of Grand Island congrat
ulate Mr. Stolley for having done so
much for the city in the line of trees.
The product of his labor may be seen
everywhere , and , it is needless to men
tion the pleasure afforded by a visit to
the Stolley nursery. rGrand Island
Press , April 23 , 1901.
