The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-01-23
ELECTRIC LIGHT KILLS TREES.
Destroying Branches That are Near Them
frees Need Sleep.

Destroying Branches That are Near Them
frees Need Sleep.
Electric light is killing the trees OF
Chicago. This is the discovery which
has been made recently by men inter
ested in botany and forestry, and an
examination has convinced the skepti-
ral of the truth of the statement.
Since the city was lighted by the
big arc lights, which are placed at the
corners of the principal streets and i'll
the middle of some of the long blocks,
many of the trees have been gradually
dying. The decay has been slow, but
that is has been sure is perfectly true
in the opinion of those who study trees
with care and can note the changes
in their physical health day by day
just as a physician 4 notice the slow
growth of disease in the human being.
OF late the decay has become marked,
so that it may be noticed by the layman
as well as the trained scientist. Dead
branches may be noticed on many trees
in various parts of the city near electric
arc lights. Most of the trees, within
l. feet of arc lights, which have been
placed in their present position more
than a year or two ago, are dying rap
idly, and are nearly stripped to their
lowest branches. And then on the
other branches the leaves have not
been as plentiful as in the past.
The nearer the tree is to the light
the greater the damage and the faster
they decay under the influence of the
electric light, but ven those within 4
hundred feet of the are lights feel their
influence, although to a modified eX-
tent.
4 stroll around the city shows the
same condition of affairs everywhere,
and those who have investigated the
matter have Convinced themselves be-
yond the possibility of mistake that
the electric light is responsible for the
injury, and it is not, as some might
suggest, due to the smoke and noXious
atmosphere of the great city.
\ scientist interested in the matter
has been corresponding with botanists
in other cities, and he finds that the
same decay of trees placed near electric
lights is noticed in every city. 1t is
especially evident in Montreal and PHI
udelphia, the two best lighted cities on
the American continent.
The trees begin to lose their leaves
and the branches to gradually decay
on top or on the side facing the lights
and gradually losing them downward.
The theory of botanists is that the
injury is due to the fact that the light
has the same effect that it would have
on a human being who was compelled
to live constantly within its glare. The
trees are unable to sleep at night.
When they, like the rest of nature, need
sleep the great glaring electric lights
prevent it. Trees are unable to live in
almost eternal day. They are like the
rest of nature, whether animals or
plants, and demand rest.
It is the theory of some wise scientific
men that the electric light is not only
responsible for injury to plant life in
it's immediate vicinity, but that 1t has
an injurious effect on man. They are
said by some to be responsible for hui
man sight defects and nervousness and
insomnia The glare of the lights In
lures the eyes and makes increased
nervousness. The lights themselves
often interfere TO some extent with the
sieep of those who are IN their immedi
ate vicinity.-Chicago Times-Herald.