New-York tribune., 1903-02-18
ABUSING THE TREES.
New-York the Greatest Offender IN the
Country, Says Mrs. Britton.

I'm nronortion to her population New-Yorl has
fewer trees than any city in the world and those
few they abuse worse than any city in the world
said Mrs Elizabeth Britton Of the Botanical Gar
dens yesterday afternoon, Whlle speaking Al the
Normal College.
one Of the most important abuses which she
named was that of placing guy ropes with scarcely
any protection. about the trunks of shade trees.
This offense is of frequent occurrence where large
buildings and the subway being constructed
THE living portion OF tree is on the outside just
hetueen the bark and the wood said Mrs. Britton
and so If guy ropes must be attached to trees. or
stones piled against them. nothing short of thick
boards or semi-cylinders of iron should protect
them and take all the strain this living part of
the
Another mon abuse Of trees in all cities is
cutting off the tops while in the city parks the
trees are abused in many ways that one would
think they had been placed there for purposes OF
depredation Children especially offensive in
this way and work much damage by puillng at
the lower limbs to make a swing
It was largely to teach children to reverence and
love the trees that this talk given and, speak
ing as Mrs Brtton did teachers representative
of various public schools In the city, her audience
was the one TO undertake this missionary work
Even if YOUR pupils are from the crowded parts
Of the East Side where there children who have
never seen a tree said she. still you may teach
of trees Read them; there poems about
trees: show them pictures of trees, and have some
twigs which may bud in the schoolroom.
Remember that thougn you are nanulnS cnliureH
in Rivington-st.. yet you training American
citizens who may become property owners.
.'Dr. Andrew w. Edison. of the course of study
committee Of board OF superintendent. said the
other day that he anxious to have emphasis
laid on trees and the Of trees by teachers in
the public schools
THE aquarium and botanical garden by right
belong to the teachers. but the Board OF Educa-
ton has never put them to use. The teachers VIII
in time called upon do better work in science,
and when the demand there IS no doubt
they viii 1t they met the demand tor
manual training
AT the close OF her talk Mrs Britton read from
Bryant's ''Winterpiece." Commenting on the Ice
storm of Monday Mrs. Britton said: This has
been a beautiful storm, and unlike the usual Ice
storms which often at this season II mas done
slight damage the That is because the
ice was preceded by the warm period, whlch Set
The sap moving. and when that is active the
boughs do not break easily. But when an ice
storm comes after spell of cold the trees are
brittle for want the sap, and they break easily
with the least wind"
When the teachers left the room each carried
with her armful of winter twtgs-maple linden
tuIip sassafTas. birch, alder and horsechestnut-
which she viii place in water in her schooroon,
thar the pupils may observe them Hs theS ourat
into bud. -,
These talks are given under the auspices OF the
aIumnss science committee of the Normal College.
and by them thar all the materials are pro-
V1dAd.