Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-04-13
The Educational Column.
d., sus5, o. su9., Falling Waters, wa.
TREE PLANTING.


The season for observing a gener
al Arbor Day is past, and nothing
has been done either by teachers OIL
school officers to improve our schoo
grounds and beautify these daily re
sorts of the children, but hope an
other opportunity will not pass I'm
needed.
Many of our school houses arr
pleasantly located in a beautiful
grove, aud no farther improvement
in this direction is needed, but many
others still are situated on the oper
common without enclosure and with
out shade. If the proper steps b.
taken, it will be but few years un
til the spots will be the most attract
i've as we'll as the most comfortable
places for our children.
Every school house should be sur
rounded by beautiful shade trees
would protect the house at all sea
sons of the year; in late spring and
early autumn they would cast ge
NAL shade, which children would de
light to seek and enjoy, rather than
remain in the house at noon as many
of them do rather than endure the
oppressive rays of monday sun
Children are tender, like young
plant, and when kept in the house
continually, they become morose ;
they should have all the outdoor ex-
ercise that their physical nature re-
quires, and when the hour for play
comes, it should be spent in the open
air, especially at the season of the
year Of which | am now speaking.
But children will not 60 out of
doors to play if the sun is hot and no
shelter from the seorching sunbeams
be found neither is it good to have
them thus exposed, for the direct
rays of the sun are too oppressive
under such circumstances. Every
one must know that plants and trees
are essentially useful at the season
when our fires are out, in taking up
the carbon which we cast off in
breathing, and thus we see three.
fold use of their presence on the
school ground first, protection Sec
ond, beauty and utility, and third,
preservation to health.
Now, how are we to secure them ?
The State Supt. of late years has
been appointing a special day for
tree planting, at first in the spring,
but now in the fall !; and this change
is very wise one. But no compen-
sation is allowed the teacher or any
one else for this trouble. Boards of
Education would think it unwise to
lay out money for ornamental trees,
and / agree with them, that until
our grounds are fenced, it would be
sheer foolishness to spend money in
that way.
But whether the teacher is com.
pensated or not, the work must be-
gin with him, or it will never be be.
gun. Do not wait for the grounds
to be fenced this you can not do,
and your waiting will not plant the
trees nor secure the fence.
Let each teacher determine at the
opening of the school next year, that
il there is no grove at his house, he
will be instrumental in starting one
before the coming spring. Plant the
trees in the fall and have your Ar.
Dor Day celebration in the spring
about the close of the term. Do not
do all the work yourself, but super
intend it and have the children take
part. Get the boys to bring shovels
and digging.lrons. and make plenty
of holes of ample size before you get
the trees the children will be de-
lighted and will work with a will.
If you are too far to reach Back
Creek, go to the Opequon or the
Potomac River on some Sat-
urday, where you can secure an
abundance of beautiful maple; plant
any other sort OF tree that you can
get except fruit trees-don't plant
fruit trees. If this is impossible, then
/ would ask the trustees to help me
perhaps they know of trees that you
do not, and if you express the will
ingness to do your part, you will find
aid where you least expected it.
Get your trees above reach of stock,
and stake about them to prevent
hogs from rubbing off the bark. If
you do this, it will not be long before
the Board of Education will provide
a fence, but rest assured you will
never have the fence until the trees
are planted and the fence becomes
necessity.
When you have your celebration,
name your tree and have class of
boys and girls to dedicate them to
the memory of some illustrious au-
thor this will infuse interest and
you will have no trouble in finding
material. d. Ell. DoDD.