The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-12-21
From The Dsdham Patriot.
Rural ORNAMENT.

your vicinity, to express the pleasure he has
and to make few observations
which he hopes may be useful. have |
been much impressed with that trait of the |
scenery of New England, VIZ. your school |
houses. shall rather say, the system of
schools, for the school houses ale very def |
cient, in many eases at least in comfort,
convenience, and taste. am glad to see
that public inquiry is awake on the subject
of buildings best adapted to the purposes of
schools. / hope that public spirit and
good taste will lead to another improvement
which think very desrable-I allude to
the planting of trees around the school
buildings. which would not only conduce to
beautify, but add materially to the comfort
of the scholars. Let every child iHterre,le
with his parent, and persuade him to plant
one tree near his school, and you will soon
have the groves of Academus to grace a
spot, which il IS desirable to endear by eve
ry association TO the mind of child. 1t is
a custom, in Turkey, think, among pa
rents, to plant tree of certain kind by
the road side on the birth of every child,
and another, "a cypress, at its death. Surh
a practice, if pursued here, would soon
crown our roads with double row of trees /;
affording to the traveller grateful shade
from the heat of summer, and rivalling in
beauty the delightful Almedas of South
America.
The magnifcence Of the elms of New
England has been theme of common OBJ
seryaton with travellers, and 1t is one on
which delight to dwell. But am panied
to observe that the elms are nearIyail large
and old affording conclusive evidence that
! our Fathers were more thoughtful for the
! comfort of their posterity. than we are
While we see many trees from b0 to SO0
! wears old-how rarely do we see those OF
10, and 90 years growth, which have been
planted with view to perpetnate The com
forts of shade which we enjoy. indeed u
correct information were disseminated on
the subject of transplantiDg trees, IT might
be urged as selfish consideration. by
the experiments of Sir Henry Stewart.
made in England few years since It has
been satisfactorily proved that size forms no
other obstacle in transpanting tree, than
the additional labor required to move 1t. 1t
is therefore an error to transplant trees of
so small size that years will elapse before
any advantage from shade is derived, while
the smalness of the roots diminishes the
moisture and the nourishmen. to the tree
and decreases greatly the probability Of
successful transpldntaton. | hope soon to
cheap form, and that 1t may he generally
noticed by your editorial corps, who can in
this way 10 a great deal of good. Pray
Mr. Editor have you never driven your Jad-
ed horse I'D to the door of public house,
while under a vertical sun the thermometer
has stool at about 95, and not tree TO he
found at the door to east charitable shade
over Yourself and your poor beast? have
often experienced this, and in an agony Of
feeling have Feen induced to exclaim in the
language Of Thomson:
d" All conquering heat on intermit thy wrath,
And on nv throbbine temples. potent thus
Beam not so fierce"
/ Or to sigh with Cowper:
/ - Oh for lodge in some vast wilderness,
Some boundless contiguity of shade"
Noted for economy and good manage
ment as are our eastern brethren, it ia to
me matter of surprise that so little care is
taken to increase the number Of their valu-
able trees. What says the prudent Scots
man3 "Aye he sticking IN tree Jack; il
will be growing when you are sleeping,
mon"
Now, Mr.. Editor, have been induced to
make these remarks because this is the
season for transplanting trees, and in the
hope that some of your readers may be re-
minded of their duty and perform it. Let
every person procure to be planted one tree,
and let no individual say that his influence
will be of no avail. Remember that Eng
land is indebted for all her oaks, which
have carried her thunders through the
world, to the good taste and sagaciiy, tc
the influence and example of Evelyn, who
propagated through the Royal Society a
taste for planting this tree. What We de-
sire can he very easily accomplished. Let
clubs of school boys determine that they
will have classic groves around their places
of study, and on their first holyaay, hasten
joyousy to the pleasing toll. Let every
Lyceum, [ hope you have one in yonr town
and if not that you will read the ramphle,
, published by the National Soriety and
, forthwith set about forming one | say lei
> your Lyceum institute the inquiry, "What
. species of shade trees flourish best in thi.
E soil 2" &C., and when ascertained let the
members, the young men, who are always
. the working men in society, determine t.
arise and plant them. Let the Agricultur-
al Society Of every county and town
otar premium las has been in Plymouth
for the greatest numher Of shade tree
transpanted by the road side, and let the
trustees and vestries of churches and the
selectmen and other officers of towns en-
courage the planting of trees around their
houses ofworsbip and along all their streets
let supervisors OF roads encourage !. and
excite their nelghhOrs to beautify as well
as repair the highway AMI finally, let eve
/ ry one plant one tree each year, and our
country will soon present landscape rich
! as that WHICH was crowned with :" he good
/ ly cedars of Lebanon"