Connecticut western news., 1881-05-11
Shade Frees along the Highways.

An unusual interest Is shown this season in planting trees along. the roadside, and our nurserymen are busy in meeting this growing demand The Legislature ot Connecticut has just passed, unanimously in both houses a law to enc, urage tree planting on the public roads, A similar law has been passed in some of the comparatively treeless States west of the Mississippi; but Connecticut is believed to be the first State east of that river to offer so b- eral a bounty from the State treasury for this purpose. This act provides that any person planting or protecting forest trees one quarter ot mile or more along any public highway may receive for ten years an annual bounty of one dollar for each quarter of mile so planted the forest trees to include the elm maple, tu- lip, ash, basswood, oak, black walnut and hickory {; the elms to be not more than sixty feet apart, and the others not more than thir- | ty feet apart.
 | Under the stimulus of this State bounty | more trees ought to be planted this Spring along the roads of Connecticut than in any | former year, however much has been recently done in this direction. In some cases indivld- | uals are encouraging this work by offering | prizes for tree planting. citizen of Clinton has just offered hundred dollars, in the form of prizes of S40 S25, $20 and $15, to the per | sons who may plant this Spring the best and longest rows of trees along any public roads of | that town, the award to be made by three non- resident experts and announced at the Agri- cultural Fair of Clinton, next October. The | judges are T. $. Gold, Sec State Board of Ap- l | Giles Potter, Agent State Board of Education | Another gentleman offers a like amount, to be l awarded in sums of $45 $30 and $25 for the best and longest low of trees that may be | planted this Spring in the towns represented in the Falls Village Agricultural Association, | which are Canaan, North Canaan, Cornwall, 1 Goshen. Norfolk, Salisbury and Sharon The judges are George E. Elliot, Agent of the Nor gan School, Clinton; r M Augur and Giles Potter. Two hundred dollars offered in this a cd vi nrdi- nary interest in tree-planting. l shall be most happy to cooperate with any liberal citizens who may wish to try kindred experiment in their towns this season or next year. The time for this work is at hand and whatever IS done well this Spring must be done quickly In two or three days, notices could be printed and circulated in almost any town in New England or New York. That service I will cheertully perform for any such donor in Con necticut. stephen Hoyt's Sns of the New Canaan nurseries-the largest in New Eng land-offer trees free to any one who will plant them on any roadside within a mile and half of the center of that town. With this liberal offer, added to the State bounty the roads Of New Canaan should be lined with shade trees.
 Nothing can add so much to the beauty and attract1veness of our country roads as long avenues of fine trees. One sees this illustrat- ed m many countries in Europe, where for hundreds of miles on stretch the road is lined with trees. With the liberal encoura cement offered by this new law no time should be lost ln securing the same grand attraction to our highways. Growing on land otherwise running to waste, such trees would yiek most satlsfac- tory returns. The shade and beauty would be grateful o every traveller, but douhly so to the owner and planter, as the happy experience ot hundreds of our farmers can now testify. for p good work in this direction is already well started Having in abundanc the best trees for the roadside, no cl1 ss can contribute so much to the adornment Of our public roads as the farmers In portions of Germany, the law formerly required every laBdholder to plant trees along h's road frontage. Happy would it be for us, if the sovel eigns of our soil would each make such law for himself
 B. G. NoRTUROP