Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-04-22
ARRoR DAY IN IOWA SOON.
Children to Plant Trees and Study
Birds Next Week.

Children to Plant Trees and Study
Birds Next Week.
State Superintendent Barrett wishes
to call attention through the press 10
Arbor and Bird day in the Iowa
schools, which will be observed on Fri
day, April %. He has already some
cial days in the Iowa schools. in which
there are many hints regarding Arbor
day and its observance. In this pam
phlet Superintendent Barrett calls at
tention to the fact that the prominent
purpose in setting apart an Arbor day
for the schools is to teach the chill
dren, as guardians of the future, to
love, guard and care for the trees of
the state. In this connection the chill
dren should be taught the true reasons
for the preservation of trees and for
ests, he says.
The introduction of Bird day in the
schools" Superintendent Barrett says
lis of more recent origin, but it is a
happy innovation both for the chill
dren and the birds. The children
need the birds and the birds need the
protection of these same little children
when they grow up to be men and wo-
men. 1t is we'll for the children to
awaken to the fact that our birds are
growing less and less in numbers ev-
cry year and that they must all turn
bird guardians to keep the world full
of bird life and bird music. Special
effort should be exerted to make the
girls realize what it means to wear
bird wings on their hats before they
grow up to be women of influence with
moral responsibility on questions of
! dress. The bird slaughter for millin-
cry purposes alone is reason enough
| for Bird day in our schools.
| In the same pamphlet there are
Suggestions for Arbor Day" given by
o. j. McManus of Council Bluffs. The
love of nature Mr.. McManus says
should be the foremost study to be
taught school children on Arbor day,
and this study should also emphasize
the necessity of preparing to observe
| Arbor day, not only by rendering an
instructive program but by planting as
many trees as the conditions will jus.
tify.
In an article on "The Native Trees
of Iowa." by Thomas H. Macbride OF
Iowa City, prepared especially with
reference to Arbor day this year in
Iowa, and appearing in the same
pamphlet it is said that there is not a
western tree within our limits. THE
| trees in our latitude" says Professor
Macbride, form the farthest western
extension of the Atlantic region. There
| is not a western tree within our lin
its. The trees in our latitude form
the farthest western extension of the
Atlantic forest. Furthermore, we have
the Minnesota forests to the north of
us and those of Missouri to the south
so that the Mississippi fringe consti'
tutes a sort of isthmus connecting
these two larger wooded areas.
Our trees" continues Professor
Macbride, accordingly, to the north
are of the same kinds as those of Min.
nesota, to the south like those of Mis-
souri, For instance, we have in our
southeastern counties the laurel oak
and the sassafras, but these do not ex'
tend north, say of Iowa City; on the
other hand, in our northern or north,
eastern counties We have the white
pine, the white birch, and the hemlock
and these do not go south say of the
latitude just named $50 that the very
distribution of our Iowa trees is inter
esting indeed. Some trees that occur
in our latitude just east of us are yet
notable west of the river by their alb
sence. Thus We have no tulip tree
no chestnut. no birch.
within the limits of the state the
most widely distributed trees leaving
out now the willows are the cotton
wood and the bur oak. The latter is
an especially interesting and hardy
tree, occupying the very outposts OF
the forest, often far outside of grove
or woodland, far from the companion
ship of any other woody species.
1--WE often hear it said that there are
more trees in Iowa than ever before
This is doubtless true Thousands Of
trees have been planted to shade oul
homes and streets. Planted trees
made the prairie habitable. Besides
the individuals of the so.called second
growth far exceed in number the trees
of our primeval woods. The rrimeva
forest of Iowa was generally sparse
One could drive almost anywhere will
a wagon among the trees as they stood
sixty years ago. The smaller trees
that we know have sprung up in the
decades since.
much of the beauty of Iowa is due
to these groves of native trees alone
our rivers and streams. Unfortunate
ly, Our people do not appreciate The
trees; they do not at all realize that
aside from all considerations of beau
ty, on the steep clay hillside, on tn,
rocky or sandy slope, trees are reall,
the very best crop that can be grown
} In such exposed situations they hole
the otherwise quickly wasted soil, the,
protect the streams, they yield a pc
rennial supply of valuable wood. En-
erson called the forest Gods planta
ton, the agriculture of the Lord A
any rate, the distribution of trees il
, nature should always guide lis in ou
effort to plant and care for this garden
of the world called Iowa"