Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-06-30
Planting School Grounds.
The Bureau Of Education At Was

Planting School Grounds.
The Bureau of Education at Washing
ton has published a letter for general
distribution, written by DR.. F. B. Hough,
chief of the Forestry Division of the De-
partment of Agriculture, giving some
excellent instructions for planting trees
in school grounds. The need Of such
instructions has long existed, while the
Importance of changing the bleak eNte-
riors of the grounds Of our elementary
schools, as well as many of a higher
grade, to attractive surroundings, is
dimly appreciated in many places. The
instructions given by DR.. Hough, are
similar to those of intelligent nursery
men and landscape gardeners, and in
clude the details of selecting, trans
planting and general care of shade
trees. A brief allusion to some of these
directions will not be out of place at the
present time. While trees Of moderate
size succeed best and ultimately make a
larger and handsomer growth, it may
be advisable to choose larger one on
account of needing less protection, two
inches in diameter being the largest size
admissible. While a proper care to-
wards such trees should be one. of the
first lessons taught to children and
young people, protection may be neces-
sary from the few lawless ones who
might bend OF injure them, and stout
stakes can be placed as guards, around
which two or three coils of barbed wire
may be passed in extreme cases. Mulch
ing the surface or mellowing the ground
for several feet around newly
set trees will insure more perfect sue
cess. To prevent the foliage of the
trees, as they become older, from shad-
ing and darkening the windows, DR..
Hough proposes to trim off the side
branches to a sufficient height. As this
treatment would tend to deform what
would otherwise be graceful objects, it
would doubtless be better to place the
larger trees more remote from the
school house, and to plant shrubs and
smaller trees. nearer, the growth of
which would not extend much above the
windows, especially of the second story.
One point may be added to the direc-
tions for the removal of evergreen trees,
namely, that by conveying mass of
earth with the roots, heavy enough of it.
self to hold the trees erect when set
upon the surface, the transplanting will
always be successful; even with the
white pine and hemlock, usually re-
garded as difficult to remove, we have
never failed in a single instance when
this provision was carefully observed.
Trees planted along the street, eight
feet from the fence line, should always
be protected by guards and hitching
posts. Instead Of placing manure be-
low the roots, it would doubtless be bet
ter to use it as a mulch, unless old and
well rotted, and partly mixed with the
soil. We may add to the directions on
watering, that it should not be resorted
to unless in sufficient quantity to pass
down and reach the roots, and it may be
advisable in all cases to first remove the
surface soil, and after the watering tc
replace it. Surface water would tend
to create q hard crust and iniure the
trees.
1t should be always borne in mind
that a great and leading object in plant
ing and ornamenting school grounds, is
to educate students into q correct and
refined taste, which shall continue witt
them through all of after life, at the
same time that it is important to give
pleasant surroundings to the place where
they spend so many hours and days il
study. To induce them to become in.
terested, it may be well to assign tx
them a portion Of the charge Of the
grounds, and to stimulate a feeling O.
enterprise and even of rivalry, by divid
ing the grounds into portions if practi
cable, or by offering prizes between two
or more schools. Other means, perhap!
less Objectionable, may be employed t.
interest them in rendering the ground:
attractive through the agency Of trees
shrubs, and annual and perennial flow
ering plants.
School grounds to a great exten.
serve as a photograph of the character
of the people of the neighborhood. I
the school houses are seen to be in poo1
order, with bleak, neglected or shabby
grounds, the population generally viii
be found to be feeble, selfish and hardly
up to the standard of full civilization
but if. on the contrary, there are nea'
school houses with handsomely planted
grounds, the neighboring residents, or ;
controlling portion of them, will be en-
terprising, generous, prosperous, intel
ligent. and successful in the great OBJ
jects of life; and their children will be
likely to follow after them.-Countrz
Gentleman.