New-York tribune., 1903-04-19
PARK TISITORS SCARED.
1fauu Think the Trees Are Beng
Cut RecklesslY.

Some visitors to Central Park in the last few
u,eks have been led to think that the trees are
,ejug sawed up for fireWOod. Workmen have
Leon cutting off many branches almost as large
). a childs body. Whole families Of squirrels
which have dwet in such security that theS
have grown tame III their confidence III man
kind have been evicted from their tree hdhta-
Ions and what left of their winter hoard
I gS has been ruthIessly scattered on the
Lround.
~ other parts of the park men planting
new trees and shrubs. Here and there an ola
,et. whose very heart has decayed, Will be
oily rooted out and in its place slim sap
lag viii be substituted. Another squad has
be II busy at the nursery at Sixty-siXth-st. ana
Central Park West, digging up trees and shrubs
1ol- trausplantiug. with care for their roots
a. that the young things m ty not die from the
-1ange.
old visitors to the park say they cannot recall
when there was so much saving and pruning
rs at The present. The park received scaflt at
IentioI under Tammany rule and the effects
Of this neglect are apparent. President
Wilcox. Park Commissioner for Manhattan,
foreS;Iv- that unless prompt measures were
taken % save them many of the trees and
shrubs would bee lost, ANA i'll this opinion he
was uphcla by his associates 1t was decided
therefore TO employ the services OF an arborI-
cuIturist and several months ago Alexander
Hogg. an expert in this line Hf work was Sc
cured He devOtes himself only to the care OF
the trees and shrubs the work of caring for the
general appearance of the park being under
the direction of y. j. Rose. landscape gardener
one Of Mr.. Hogg's first duties in the care OF
the trees was to divide the park into sections.
In this way the work could be done systematl-
ca!y Men were Sc ut work in each section,
Rose OF Mr.. Hogg each tree and shrub in the
section under is examined and lnStruc-
tions are given for its treatment.
When a tree is found TO be dead, or SO near
dead as to leave little hope for its recovery, we
take il out of course" said one of those iii
charg,. Of the work, but so far IL has been
necessary to take out only Il few trees we
have found some in very BAD shape, but We can
save them by Topping oft dead limbs, and that
is being done The smoke and root Of the city
have had their effect upon the trees and shrubs,
and are undoubtedly responsible for the pres
ent condition of many of them. But these are
not the only sources of disease There var-
Gus causes principal among which poor soil
and neglect. The oVergroVn shrubs are also
being thnned ont. giving those left a fair
chance for life
The new order of things satisfies about all
concerned except the squirrels
It's 4 bit rough the little fellows said
one Of the WorkInen the other day. They don't
like IT at ALL and you can't blame them. Here
they have worked hard building houses and
fellows come along and break them up
Huo il ant be helped; it's orders" and he
went Lack to work.
1t is 40 easy task the men at work in Cen
traI Dark have Oh hand. Practically every tree
ana .virV branch must be tested.
1t may look trfe scanty when get
through with -" remarked OF those in
charg, Of the work the other day. but if this
work had ret been done the park would have
been - sorry looking place twenty even ten
years from now"
To those unfamiliar with arboricuIture the