Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-12
TREES AND TRIMMERS.
People Who Object to the City's Being
Shorn of Its Arboreal Beauty.
PARK COMMISSIONERS TALK.
Both Sides of an Interesting Controversy-The
Park Commission Charged With Mutilation
The Commissioners Say That Heroic Treat
ment 10 Necessary to save Trees.
yJ,HE SHADE TREES OF WASHINGTON


l. form one of the greatest attractions of the
city. adding much to the beauty Of the streets
Naturally they are zealously watched by citi-
zens who are concerned in the welfare Of the
city. When trees are cut down there are COM
plants. Recently there has been much COM
plant of the wrong, which the compliments as
se-t has been done the trees by injudicious
trimming. 1t is asserted that the trees
have been mutilated. robbed Of their of beauty
and in some cases practically destroyed. OF
course here are two sides to the question.
The parking commissioners saw that what they
have done has been necessary to preserve the
trees and point out the conditions OF growth
in city streets, which render such treatment
they claim necessary. But the two sides OF
the question will be found presented below.
The Complaint Against the Commission.
DIR. r. U. Piper has taken up the cudgels for
the trees. In a statement to The STAR he
says:
In an article headed Attacks on the
Public Parks in the January Century devoted
mainly to the Yosemite and Yellowstone Parks
there are some general statements which apply
AS directly to the parks and as well also to the
shade trees of this CITY.
The night to prevent the injury and impair
mento public parks, large and small, says the
writer, appears TO be perpetual one.
lhere Is always sprlnglng up some new
person or persons possessed with a craving rs
absorbing as IT Is mysterious, TO get into park
Of some kind and TO harm il in one way or
another. IL they, these parties. wish to cut
down trees, they say they only desire to do SO
In order to improve the views. to open vistas
&c. Opening yistas has long been the favorite
device Of park desolators all the way from New
YORK elty TO the Yosemite Valley, and is one of
tie most extreme and violent forms of park
vandalism ever invented.
To begin with Mcpherson Park. What pos
sible reason could there be for the mutilation,
4 m ght say the destruction. for that is sure 70
follow. o. the trees in this beautiful park II
AZ was not Tor the value of the many loads OF
wood which have been taken from it. what was
the inducement for the unsightly work? 1t IS
said thai whole trees | was not told how many)
were tasen IN the night If this be the fact
was Il done with some idea that darkness was
the proper covering ;or such a foul deedI Ii
woGl,, have been far better If the mutilated
Fees ha. shared the fate OF their fellows and
neen wholly taken away under the veil of
Z ght.
many trees under these conditions follow
very nearly one course. varying somewhat In
respect Of time. depending also TO some extent
upon the species OF tree.
some OF he soft wood trees, such as poplar
anu willow. form new tops, but these tops be-
come vegetable mOustroslties, having. In the
Language ol Euskin, none of the grace OF
natura. tree forms
At nrst a great number of sprouts form
e-S-.- sAS HCAl4dtcu stump anu grow iOr u
time, making fruItless effort to unite with
the naked wood In the meantime, from ex-
Poslre 10 the elements. the stump becomes
more or less decayed and the sprouts begin to
iall on, producing the most ragged, unsIghtIy
appearance Imaginable Still further in time
lie whcle OF the top of the tree dies leaving
the CHASTITY naked arms pointing TO the unpIty-
ing SKY. Sometimes, where, as in the case Of
the trees alluded To as near my own house. the
top mas been cut down TO two or three short
stubs. II may develop some one or two shoots
Shicn may live Tor some years with black
gangrenous mass Of deeaying wood at the
starting point OF the shooters long to die as
my two have already done, and as the other il
about 10 do And here / remark that all over
tins city may be seen hundreds of trees with
irregular deformed branches with black gan
grenous masses Of decayed wood like that
noticed above. and dwellings very Ike those
sometimes seen IN cases of rerofulous bones In
the human animal, and frequently also dead
stumps whitened like q drled bone which the
tree can IN no way cover with living tissue.
But certain honorable and learned gentle
men say that the park Is more beautiful now
than 1t WAS when II was in a condition to afford
shelter and shade as II was intended to do by
those who planted it OF course can have no
argument with such individuals. SIR Joshua
Re nolds says that some men see deformity rs
beauty and that there are those who are form
blind well color blind. Again they do
just such things in Europe" in spain. perhaps,
Tut only in TWO places in this country. let US
hope. They have also in Europe (torsos)
sculptured images from which some Jealous
landscape gardener perhaps has broken the
head and hmbs- This idea might be carried
out in respect to the statue in the park and
Tins bring 1t In keeping with the other artistic
vosk dsoe there, enly thsssv would have 70 b