Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-08-26
HISTORIC OLD TREES.
MANY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
NAMES OF FAMOUS MEN.

The National Capital Has the Finest and
Largest Collection of frees of Any City
In the Countrywide George Washing
ton Elm-The Sumner Tree
No other city in the country can boast so
many trees and such beautiful and inter
esting specimens as Washington. Over
10000 Of them flourish here in the streets
and public squares with uxuriance seen
nowhere else in the United States. They
include more than 800 distinct varieties
and Species and among them are score OF
famous memorial trees planted by eminen.
men of the country, from George Wash
ington all the way down, besides many
rarities to be found nowhere else or She
American continent.
Tree planting was an important detail in
the original design of the city but it was
not begun Systematically until 1872 when
BOSS" Shepherd and his board of public
works set to work to carry out the plan Of
the founders. The Capitol building and
the White House are the two centers from
which radiate all the broad avenues of the
city. Wherever these avenues intersect
the regular streets open spaces are formed,
and advantage has been taken of them
to construct little parks, some circular
in shape, some square and others TRAN
gular.
There are 331 of these reservations all
told, including the great consolidated gov
eminent reservation extending from the
Capitol westward to the Washington mon
ument, two miles away, and they cover an
aggregate area of 900 acres, and these in
addition to the margins of all the streets
and avenues, which are fanked along their
entire lengths with shade trees, are all lib
orally set with trees of fine varieties.
In the neighborhood of $4,000 is ex-
pended annually by the government and
the District OF Columbia in cultivating,
planting, preserving, trimming and re-
newal Of the trees, under the auspices of
the engineer department of the army and
of the city parking commission. Nurser-
les, greenhouses and propagating gardens
are maintained for securing the best
specimens and varieties adapted to this
climate An elaborate system, based on
the most advanced and enlightened theo-.
ries OF arboriculture, is followed in this
work and large force of trained men is
constantly employed.
The Oldest and most prominent of the
memorial trees is one planted by George
Washington when the building OF the Cap
itol was begun, before the dawn of this
century. 1t is not a cherry tree, but
magnificent specimen of the American
elm and adorns the north side of what is
called the East park, facing the senate en-
trance of the Capitol Another elm, relia-
bly, reputed by tradition to have been
planted by Washington at the same time.
stood near by as a mate to it until 1878.
Then it had to be cut down in the regrad-
ing of the park, which was conducted un-
der the supervision of Frederick Law Ohm
sted, the landscape architect.
Captain William R. Smith, superintend
ent of the National Botanic garden and
chairman of the parking commission
could not bear to see the noble tree perish
utterly, SO he had a number of live roots
extracted, from which, by replanting. he
has produced what he regards as genuine
heirs of the original trunk.
Perhaps the most famous tree in the
United States, with the possible exception
of the celebrated Charter Oak, of Connect
cut, and the apple tree of Appomattox, is
''the Sumner tree" which recently occu-
pied a conspicuous position near the
George Washington elm. 1t was a glori-
Gus specimen of the outrageous Italian
beech or hornbeam of the identical sort
under which the ancient Etruscan shep-
herds tuned their pipes and tended their
fccks.
But aside from it's intrinsic and classical
merits, the name and fame of this particu-
lar tree were acquired through eulogy
pronounced upon it publicly in the senate
chamber of the United States by Charles
Sumner, of Massachusetts, on Jan. 49,
1874. Probably no other tree ever had such
fine advertisement. The improvement
and renlodcling of the Capitol grounds
upon which millions of dollars have been
spent, were then in progress, and a debate
was On in the senate concerning the pro
priety of cutting down the bluffs, which
rose nine feet above the surrounding level
en- the east side. Sumner unprecedented
that many of the beautiful trees there
would have to be sacrificed as an incident
to that work. Said he, after speaking gen
orally of the Capitol trees:
There is one tree, however, in the
grounds opposite the Capitol on the east
that must at any cost be spared. 1t is a
beautiful beech-not an American beech
but, l believe, classical beech, and there
it is, to my mind, a thing Of perfect beauty.
When it is clothed In all its foliage during
the summer, know of nothing in the Dis
trict of Columbia that is equal to it in
beauty. It is distinctly seen from the
marble steps that lead to the senate
chamber, and hope my friends will see
that that tree does not suffer-"
The commission to which the grading
was intrusted respected the senator's dying
wishes-for his death occurred only few
weeks iater-and allowed the tree to re-
main, cutting down the soil about it and
leaving the beech standing on little ris-
ing knoll. This plan, however, proved
failure, and the tree, lacking its accus
toned moisture and nourishment, in a few
years became decrepit. Then the soil was
eXcavated under it and its roots lowered,
but either the workmen made u mess of
the job or the idea itself was impractical
bic, for the noble shaft slowly withered
and died.
Another stately tree, an elm, command
ing much attention near the house Ell
trance OF the Capitol, a little to the south
is the Cameron tree, so called from the
fact that old Senator Simon Cameron, iii
1878, while d member of the senate com
mittee on public buildings and grounds.
interviewed powerfully in its behalf and
prevented its destruction during the re
grading process by saying simply, "Wood-
man, spare that tree!'
1t had sheltered him on many hot sum-
mer afternoon when he lived across the
street on the site now occupied by the
Butler building, and although it obstruct-
ed and still obstructs the principal path
way leading to the house near the south
terrace, it has been permitted to live and
be admired. Up to 1851 there stood close
by it fine hickory planted by President
Andrew jackson, but it was cut down to
make room for the cornerstone of the
house extension, laid in that year.-Wash-
ington Cor. New York World.
An Old Soldiers Toast.
A northern general, famous as a fighter,
was at regimental reunion some time
ago and was expected to propose toast to
the regiment. He made rambling but
highly eulogistic speech, and concluded by
saying:
Here's to the gallant One Hundred and
Twenty-sixth New York, the last to reach
the field, and the first to leave it,
He sat down amid shouts of laughter,
and then seeing that he had made some
IA 10 ha 10,