The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-06-26
OFFICIAL CITY PAPER.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 26, 1901.
TREES FOR CITY PARKS.


There being at present considera-
BILE agitation on the subject of city
parks for Kalispell the kinds of trees
most popular in like ATTITUDES come up
for consideration. Senator Paris Glib
son writing to a Great Falls friend
from Boston goes into this subject in
a manner which cannot fail to be in
teresting and the trees he favors are
certain to be received with popular
admiration. Speaking of the boule-
wards in Great Falls, along the streets
and avenues, Mr.. Gibson says:
While l have constantly enjoyed
these evidences of civilization and re-
finement in the cities of the middle
west and the Atlantic coast, and have
noted everywhere the enjoyment de-
rived from them by the people, regard
less of wealth or station, have given
especial attention to some varieties
of trees and shrubs in which we of
Great Falls are interested. In all
cities l find the American elm FREEDOM
mating, and although my early life
was spent among the grand elms Of
New England, yet never appreciated
them as do now. I know of no other
tree in northern ATTITUDES that can
compare with the American white elm
for park and street purposes, except
the giant red oak of New England,
the cultivation of which, am sorry
to state, has been sadly neglected
here, which is due, assume, to the
difficulty in transplanting them, and
to their slow growth. The time, how
ever will come when in some of the
Atlantic cities the elm in all it's gran
deur will be compelled to take sec
ond place beside the huge New Eng
land red oak and this may be the
case in Great Falls in the far-off flu
ture. Some of these dropping elms are
SO broad-spreading and have foliage
SO dense, that six or seven hundred
people can sit under the shade of one
of them. To people in Great Falls
who appear to think that trees should
constantly be pruned, so that they
may look "prim" and Handsome"
would suggest that little or no prun
ing, is done here to deciduous trees
the use of the saw and the knife be
ing confined almost wholly to dead OF
dying limbs. The great elms of Wash
ington, New York Boston and it's ad
jacent towns have been permitted tt
send out their branches within six
seven and eight feet of the ground
the rule being to let the branches G,
wherever they will unless they inter
fere with walks or roads. Oftentime
the limbs of the rock maple an,
beech trees are permitted to grow o.
the trunk close down to the ground
From careful observation l am NOR
strongly than ever inclined to the be
lief that Great Falls should give
wide berth to the man who thinks h
can improve much upon nature in tn
shaping of our decidious trees.
Washington, if not already. wi
soon be the most beautiful city
North America. The pleasing effet
of it's streets, with no end of sma
parks at their intersection, and tn
luxuriant growth OF it's trees an
shrubs, gives it, in my opinion, a d
cided advantage over every other cit
in North America If the new Was
ingtOn is so beautiful now, what wi
1t be so or Is years hence, when i,
elms and oaks have become giant
and the eye everywhere rests upo
works of art?
The rural population of New En-
land is scarcely holding its own, viii
there is a steady growth of its citi,
and manufacturing towns. The pr
ductive west will be called upon mo-
and more to furnish the agricultur