The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-18

The strongest reason for sch0oI-ground
planting Is for the comfort of the teacher
ana the pupils who occupy the building
from seven To nine months each year
| says William l. Hail. Assistant Superiu-
tendcHJ Of Tree Planting of the AgricuItU-
raj Department in bulletin which is
in course of. preparation now and which
VIII be distributed to the public IN the
course of a few days, Mn Han says.
A schooihouse so situated as wholly
TO lack protection from Indictment weather
often subjects its occupants to distress
! ing conditions During winter gales there
/ Is an increasing demand for fuel. which,
though supplied. often does not suffice To
! keep The building warm. The teacher is
/ then put to test contrNing methods by
! which no pupil shall endure more than
/ his share OF cold, and by which 10 main
/ tain the usual good order during study
/ hours and provide for indoor recreation
/ at the rest periods. With the thermUm-
/ cter lowering around the zero point on
! the occasion OF "a bowling blizzard one has
/ but to enter a country schooIroom 10 ap-
4 preciatc its diScomfoTtS and see its need
! OF protection.
! The winds of spring are almost as try
/ ing as those OF winter. while Ia summer
! the sun beats down with unchecked VIC
J Icuce. Thus each season = accompanied
! by HI-enecJs for those who must attend
( school where the grounds are exposed
/ The question naturally arises. may not
! these couaItious hoe r,mvGIed2 To this
/ IN, answer certainly should be that they
may. They have been remedied in some
! instances and can be IN others il Is not
too much to say that in nine cases out Of
! ten exposed school grounds can be zen
( ,ered comfortably by trees planted in
/ WiudhroakS
Continuing, and speaking of the educa-
( tIouai value OF trees, A-r. Hall says: But
( comfort is not the only reason for plant
! ing about the scRooIhouse. The trees have
also an educa tiUuaI value Indeed. bare
/ grounds may ba-regarded IS an UpporJun=
lty Children interested IL the work Of
I selecting. planting, and growing trees and
/ shrubs about the school can gain ia the
( work no little knowledge OF night pTin-
| eipIes and methods many people think
that TO plant q tree all that needs 10 be
! done is to dig up q sapiing. OF buy 1t. and
set it IL a hole. This Is q great mistake.
responsible for many failures. Some
! knowledge CT tree culture Is q thing sure
10 prove useful to q large proportion Of
+schooI children
/ Forestry Is beginning TO attract aJteu-
+ ton as d possible SUBJECT of school in
struction. So far the interest III 1t is
mainly as . branch al mature study. but
It's growing economic importance may
. eventually result II It's extensive intro
ductiou into courses of study Technical
/ forestry can not be taught IN The schools
I as "a part OF a general education aid II
ought not IL be supposed that Tree plant
Ing on school grounds looks in that dIreC-
/ ton Nevertheless a plantation Of for
/ est trees OF q wood lot IL connection with
I a school would give an excellent Cpp6r-
tunity for study of forest growth and
management and IL many places It Is
/ perfectly feasible.
But there Is another side To the educa-
tionaI value OF tree planting which Is Of
first Importance IT Is money wei spent
10 make the sch00Ihouse and everything
about il attractive and beautiful Here IS
one Of the centres OF life OF the communi-
y. and the one IN which is gathered the
most imprcssi0Dable element In IL The
school is supported at public expense in
. order to make good American citizens II
aims at securing the highest possible de
! veIopmeut OF mind and character Every
/ element Of order Heatness. and beauty. ev-
cry broadening Influence every appeal 10
THE finer nature OF the child means better
men and better women and a more thrifty
( and prosperous and attractive community.
Americans are justly proud of their school
system, and should be willing to support
/ the schools not only with money, but
with time and labor"
/ About Arbgr Day and schooI-ground
planting Mr. Han says:
The neglected condition Of the school
( ground has not come without notice or
without some effort toward Improvement
The sentiment in favor Of schooI-ground
comfort and adorument has gradually IN
! creased for tn last thirty years and has
been greatly aided by the establishment Of
an annual Arbor Day for tree planting.
Arbor Day was proposed by the Hon.
J Sterling Morton cX-Secretary Of AgrI-
, culture and was first observed III Eebras-
/ Iza where il was officially recognized in
I IS7Z 1t was first associated with school
! ground planting in Cincinnati in ISL in
/ connection with meeting Of the Ameri-
can Forestry Association Since then il
has been best known by its observance in
the schools All the States have followed
the example OF Nebraska in establishing
| Erbor Day and the movement has now
/ spread into many foreign countries.
Great Britain. France Spain Japan. and
New Zealand all celebrate their Arbor
Lay"
/ The method Of celebrating Arbor Day is
described as follows by Nh Hail. The
Governor Of each State annually ap-
points Arb0r Day as the proper season
for planting This day Is celebrated in
the schools by public exercises appro-
pirate to tree planting with essays.
songs, and reciUatious 10y the pupils and
addresses by visitors IN connection with
the exercises there is ordinarily more or
less tree planting Great care is taken to
make the planting ceremonies impressive
Ly letting the children take part. and by
planting trees comm emoratiye of noted
persons or events Much more attention
IS given to these matters than having the
trees in prime condition and TO planting
them just right.
| As might have been expected. the re-
suits upon the school grounds have no.
been marked Too often TIL work has
been impulsive and the interest transient
| Trees planted with ceremouious dignity IN
| April have died of neglect before Septem-
Der and those that survive have been
left 20 fight unaided their battles for ex-
istencc- SO little attention has been paid
to the choice of trees and 10 the methods
Of planting that those entirely unfit FOR
the situation have often been used. and
have been planted into places where they
could not receive protection -while young.
or serve any useful purposes when grown.
| Arbor Day has often come on dry, windy
days Of clear out Of season for planting.
Furthermore, the planting has been on
too small "a scale To be OF great benefit