The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-03-30
SHADE TREE BUTCHERY.
SALT LAKE CITY, Mar. SO, 1880.
Editors Herald:

al LAM lily mar -, 4OOOs
Editors Herald:
"Freeholder" differs with me i
regard to the butchering of shad
trees. No objection from me to hi
doing so. Tastes differ, AID there
: no accounting for them. As to tbl
term science. it is w riously used. ana
/ sometimes the meaning of the term
as used, IS exceedingly obscure. FoI
my part, when lock upon the dis
figured and limbless condition of the
outchered shade trees, it is impossible
for me to discern any science" in
the butcherY, any more than | could
perceive any science" in man
having his arms cut of above his
elbows and his legs cut of above his
knees, with the view of improving hi.
figure and increasing the symmetry
ana beauty of his corporal
outlines and proportions. If an All
normal number and kind of spindly
fingers were to sprous out OF the arm
stumps, and an abnormal number
and kind of spindly toes were to
sDrout out of the thigh stumps of that
hutchered man. it would be something
Ike what happens at the ends of the
brief branch stumps of those
outchered shade trees, for there ap.
pear lot of weak spindly shoots, ab-
normal In number and general APP
peaIance.
do not understand the pride"
which citizens take in the butcnereI
trees, Procrusteanly butchered. Mg
feelings are not of pride, but of SOC
row and disgust, when look upon
those barbarous mutilatlons.
We know that severe cutting back, |
or constant pruning, tends to dwarf
trees, for either is a heavy tax on
their vitality. and especially is it so
when all the limbs are sawed off near
the trunk, as is the sad case with our
butchered shade trees. If a man
wants to keep the heads of his trees
small, of course he can do it by
chopping or saving of the branches
every spring or summer. Indeed by
such merciless pruning he can
soon bring his trees into such a con-
dition that they will have no heads at
ali worth speaking of. But should
not consider such trees handsome, nor
of any value as shade trees. |,
Freebooter says that this close and {
heavy pruning makes pretty, solid !
heads, and hardens the trunks of the !
trees. He could make the trunks
great deal harder by persistsntly strip
ping of the branches ell summer.
The trunks would get hard enough
then and would Withstand any s'orm.
The fercest storm would make no
On them whatever.
Nothing short OF a stroke of lightning
would hurt them more than the
stripping would. But they would not
be living trees long.
l have never seen q butchered
shade tree that is pretty. If tree
has been moderately pruned occasion
ally, to prevent or check struggling 4
Jr irregular growth and promote SYM
mehy, as l remarked in my former }
letter, that is another thing entirely, ]
a very different thing to the Wholesale
Outchery Of branches, till the trees
become the unsightly stumps we see
in the streets, l am sorry, very sorry,
to say. No beauty there. Those but
chered trees are as ugly as ugliness
tself can be, the very incarnation, /
was going to say, Of arboTeous ugli-i
ness.
Just take lock at trees that have
been scientifically" butchered in
that way. What do you sse? Half
4 dozen weak, spindly shoots from
each braLch stump, struggling
ogether for sufficient sun and air to
dear life, and none of them
7ery hard or hardy, none very capable
If withstsnding rough storms. More
,ver, each tree has, for ever after,
marred, SCARED and scrubby
appearance that tells of violent abuse
md is anything but handsome.
DwaTfng a tree or shrub is un-
but is done usually TO obtain
Ome specific result, that is supposed
o be worth the trouble and sacrifice.
The Japanese and Chinese are adopts
q this dwar6ng art. But their
lWarfed trees and shrubs are generally
ymmetrial and the result Is not pro-
luced by such sudden and violent
means as our shade tree butchery. l
never saw one of those butchered
ihade trees that was symmetrical or
when one came to exam
ne it. Furthermore, l can discover
10 desirable object in dwsrfing shade
rees. With me the desirable object
8 to cause the trees to produce a
srge, overspreaiing, outrageous
hade, as a protection from the roast
ng rays of cur red hot summer sun.
md not become mutilated, dwarfed,
abnormal curiosities. Even the teams :
eek the shady side Of the street in I
he summer time, and no doubt are
thankful when they find the shade.
But what shade is there under those 3
,utchered trees? None, hardly, all
summer long.
No, gentlemen, am not in favor
If butchering the shade trees, either
scientifically" empiricslly, or bar
,arously. l admit no beauty, no ad-
Iautsge, no desira5ility in that ex-
rene mode of treatment.
SYLVAN SHARE.
COIN Bros have Just received %
pieces of very choice Summer Silks, {