The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-07-19
A COLONY OF FAMOUS TREES.
cedars of Lebanon Grown From Seed
Obtained in Asia Minor.

Boston Letter to the washington Post.
A thousand cedars of Lebanon grow
ing up from seed brought from Asia Mi
nor is on of the interesting sights just
now in one corner of the frames of the
Arnold arboretum at Jamaica plain. Not
that they appear at present much like
their historic predecessors. In fact to
the initiated all ceGars look alike dur
ing their first year. Some of them are in
little boxes so that they can be put out
into the sunshine or kept in the shelter
ing Conservatives as may seem best
while others stand rank by rank in the
open air bed. But what makes them
particularly fascinating is their literary
interest and the fact that they seem to be
in fair way to grow and flourish. Just
now. In spite of the inclemency of this
spring weather, they are fourishlng like
the traditional green bay tree, and II
they continue to do so the arboretum
will have introduced into our northern
ATTITUDES for the first time one Of the
most striking and decorative landscape
trees that grows
VIII the Arnold arboretum succeed in
growing these Lebanon trees? It is not
the first attempt that has been made in
this climate, but 1t is the first to give
any sign of being successful Previous
attempts have failed because In the trop-
ica summers and arctic winters of the
North Atlantic states the ordinary vege-
tation of the Orient survives nut year
or two at the best. But the arboretum
hopes to acclimate a hardy growth in
accordance with the precepts of modern
arboriculture which have been developed
during years of curious experimentation
at this museum of living trees. a sort of
outdoor and dollhouse laboratory belong
ing to Harvard university ana PERFORM
ing work of worldwide reputation.
To understand what hopes the arboro-
tum people have of successfully propa-
gazing this difficult species you need
only remember what has been done In
the way of extending the range of some
of the western soft wood trees For in
stance, when a Scotchman. named Doug
las, discovered the splendid frs on our
Pacific coast that had been given his
name. he took the seed back home with
him and cultivated it there. In that
equable climate it did we'll, but the first
Douglas first planted in the eastern
United States were from seed that came
from England and these-curiously
enough-would not grow more than a
few years. standing to be killed by the
first severe winter that came along. Much
the same experience the silver fir of
California and the Engleman spruce
from the forests of Oregon suffered
when transplanted; the climate of old
England was so much more even than
that of New England that while they
would grow abroad they died here But
presently somebody brought to the arbor-
etum seeds Of the frs and spruces from
the mountains of Colorado The trees
there were to all appearances exactly
like those on the shores of the Pacific.
but apparently they had been acclimated,
as 1t were, by centuries of exposure in
high attitudes. At any rate, brought
east and exposed to the rigors of our
climate, they throve and grew to full
stature, developing into some of the best
of our landscape trees
The experience gained with these west
ern frs prompted similar experiment
with the cedars Of Lebanon. Since the
trees had again and aga;n proved them.
selves not hardy enough for New Eng
lands climate-and that means for prac-
tically all the country north of the lati-
tude of Central New Jersey-the arbore-
tum sought out some specimens that had
already been through the process Of ac.
climatization, finally securing a number
of cones from mountains about the
Smyrna, the coolest region In which the
tree is found and one with weather al
most as variable that of our Atlantic
coast. These seeds from Asia Minor
were planted in January 1902. and came
up In due course. Today, when they are
a year and half old. the little spries
stand two and three inches high. and in
box hardly foot square there are
seventytwo of them-enough to cover
the Mount of Olives probably. perhaps
as many as were used I'm building the
Of he of Col
with its mighty pillars They are small.
but already they have a most interesting
personality, an amusing air of self i'm
portance. as II were, and one can easily
imagine their undeveloped grandeur
For since the days of Solomon the CO.
dars Of Lebanon have been the type of
majesty and beauty In maturity they
grow to sixty feet in height, with fiat
wde-spreading branches, set symmetri-
caly about sturdy trunk. The long
life of their fine-fbered wood and the
strong balsam Of their seed gave them
wonderful properties in the minds of the
ancients. among whom the cedar was
the most valued of trees When Solo
mon built his temple and his palace bs
bought from Hiram. king Of Tyre. the
great cedars of Lebanon, to make pillars
and beams and walls. and from him
hired his workmen, too. "And Solomon
had three score and ten thousand that
bare burdens and four score thousand
hewers I'm the mountains beside the chief
OF Solomon's officers which were over the
work, three thousand ana three hundred
which ruled over the people that wrought
In the work" The temple was seven
years In building. And Solomon gave
Hiram twenty thousand measures Of pure
oil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year bv
year"
The cones Of the cedars of Lebanon are
close Knit and hard. inside. the little
pitchy seeds. packed closely together In
a solid core have wonderful fiImy wings
TO carry them far and wide and drop
them so that their sharp points shall
strike into the earth and give them per-
manent Judgement. After they have
grown to fun size on the tree the cone