Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-04

PLANTED By DANIEL WEBSTER
AT NEW HAMPSHIRE HOME.
White Pines and Hard Woods Set Out
by the Great American
Statesman. ----

@. G. Andrews of Maine Forestry Board in New
York Tribune.
1t was partly my having seen and heard
| Daniel Webster many times in my boyhood
| that made me visit his Marshfield (Mass.)
farm to see the important work he did
there In tree planting.
In his visit to England in 1889 Mr.. Web
ster gave special attention to its agricul-
ture. and after his return he gave an ad-
dress on the evening Of January 10. 1910.
in the State House in Boston on THE Agri-
culture of England which is indeed
manual on the subject. He saw in Eng
| land plantations of timber, under which
! title forestry work was then and is now
conducted. but made no mention of them
| In his address. He gives. however. In that
| address this description Of one Of the old
| forests which, like the New Forest.
| created by William the. Conqueror, is now
| little more than a forest In name: "Sher-
| wood Forest at least in its present state.
| is not like the pine forests of Maine. the
| heavy hardwood forests of the unredeem-
ed lands of New Hampshire and Vermont
or the still heavier timbered lands OF the
west. 1t embraces a large extent OF coun-
| try. with various soils. some Of them thin
and light. with beautiful and venerable
oaks Of unknown age. much open ground
between them and underneath their wide
spread branches, and this covered with
heather. ichens and ferns. Sherwood
Forest, lnQeeO. Is not less lHtSTeStiHS Aoi
the natural beauty which charms the eye
than for its venerable antiquity and his
torical associations.
But it was not what he saw In England
that stimulated his interest in tree plant
ing. He had been a practical tree
planter for many years previous to that
visit. He began tree planting on his
Marshfleld farm in 1884. Peter Harvey.
in his "Reminiscences. says: "Mr. Web
ster had a passion for planting trees
1t was his practive to try expert
| ments with every variety OF forest trees.
shade trees and fruit trees. from different
states and countries. OF course. many OF
them failed. but larger number succeed.
ed" And Rufus Choate. in his "Eulosy.
| says: II went, 1t Is a day or two SINCE
alone to see again the home which he so
dearly loved; the trees planted by him IN
lines in copses. in orchards by thou-
sands the seat under the NOBLE elm. on
which he used to sit to feel the south
west wind at evening or hear the breath
| ings of the sea-.
webster's Foreman.
1t was my reading. a few years ago.
| these words of Mr. Choate that made me
| wish to visit the farm at Marshfeld. and
| see for myself to what extent. II any. Mr..
Webster's tree planting was in the line OF
| forestry l therefore took advantage OF
| visit to my native place in New Hampshire
| to delightfully."- fulfill my wish. having pre-
| yiously corresponded with Porter Wright OF
| Green HarbOr. Mass who was MI: Wep-
| star's foreman and in his service eighteen
| years, and who advised me to make the
| trip.
| was fortunate in having F. W. Hatch.
| an old resident, take me in his carriage
| over the farm. We drove first to the sum
mer residence of Porter Wright. which IS
| within about a mile of the Webster home.
| We found him at neighbor's near oy.
| and he cheerfully accompanied US as our
| guide during about two hours, that We're
| spent in driving over and about the Web
] 70 will be remembered tlal
| many of Mr.. Webster's letters, in the two
| volumes of his private letters, were ad-
| dressed to Porter Wright on the manage
ment of the farm. Mr.. Wright is over
| eighty years of age, fairly active, man
| almost of Mr.. Webster's stature, with
| prominent nose. expressive biulsh-gra
eyes and fine looking. he Is the MAJ VINO
| at Mr.. Websters request drove the oxen
up in front of the house for Mr. WEBSTER,
in his last illness, to look at;
Daniel Webstexs Marshfleld farm finally
comprised 7OO4akres of fairly good soil.
| free from rocks. and about half of it un-
| dulating surface. He used to speak o. 1t
| as having light soil and being on the
| "bleak' shore of the sea. There are views
| from It of the blue sea and of vessels
| der full sail. 1t is in the midst OF the Old
| Plymouth colony settlement. Duxoury ana
| the Standish monument are visible Wins
| low was buried In the little cemetery on an
| elevated site adjoining the Webster place.
! where most of the Inscriptions are too old
! to be deciphered. and where also Is the
| extremely PLAIN IOfnD VI " cuSteI-Sdi III
| covered and a simple marble slab.
Marshfleld Lawn.
While they do not belong to forestry. I
| did, however look at the fine trees in the
| apple orchard of eleven acres which Mr..
Webster planted: also the lawn. The lawn
consists of about six to eight of
! pleasantly undulating surface. hand
! some broad avenue. mostly of elns. leads
from the public road through it to the
house (Mr. Webster's house was burned
| few years ago and has been replaced by
| another), distance of about 300 yards.
/ and trees. mostly hardwood. are dist1-b
| uted SO tastefully over it as to make. to-
| gether with the little lake of about three
acres along the rear princely surround
| ing, The trees are now in their prime. and
| the lawn is far more beautiful than it could
have been fifty years ago. in Mr.. Webster's
| time. There are few finer lawns, probably,
| in America.
| Mr.. Webster began tree planting on this
| farm siXty-eight years ago. He planted a
| great many small white pines on the north
| and west sides of his farm in lines or belts.
| Many of these pines now stand and are
| merchantable size. although the most of
| them are not more than foot in DIANE ter
| breast high. / noticed a few Scotch pines.
! There are occasional stumps. and some of
| the pines that he planted were cut and
| used for timber when they had a diane ter
| of two feet. There are now growing on the
| farm one or more moderate tracts of close
| standing young white pine twenty feet
| high. the natural growth from seed of pines
| planted by Mr.. Webster. a fact very sigr if
| cant in forestry. In letter written by him
| at Marshfield on May 20. 1872 to Mrs. Ed
| ward Curtis, describing the place, he sta ties
| that there was then the north and
| northwest thick belt of trees planted by
| the same hand that now indites this de-
! scription." These certainly were pines, Of
| which some are now standing: and whether
| they were planted to beautify the place. as
| Mr.. Wright thinks. or for shelter belts or
| for timber. they have had useful forestry
effects. because the trees served as wind
| breaks and became valuable for timber Mr.
| Webster certainly exemplfed valua BILE
| principles of forestry. and his example
! should everywhere give it an impulse.
Named for His Children.