Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-18
A FOREST FROM SEEDS
Aged Enthusiast Starts MUIR
sery Near Falls Church.
PLANTED IN AN. ORCHARD
Millions of Seeds Gathered From
Trees in the City.
HOPES TO REPLACE TIMBER
Visitor From Colorado Explains His
Purpose in Starting Seeding
Farm Near Capital.

With seeds Of forest trees estimated to
number not less than 100000 planted on
a small strip Of land about two miles di-
rectly south of Falls Church, Va, Sid
ney A. Gaylor, an experienced nursery
man. has begun in a practical way the
cultivation of seedlings, with which he
hopes to replace aged or fallen timber or
create additional tracts of timber land in
the neighborhood of Washington. And a
surprising fact of this planting near Falls
Church is that every one of the seeds
placed there was gathered by Mr.. Gaylor
from trees in the city of Washington or
just over the District line.
Mr. Gaylor, in addition to being an
experienced nurseryman and an enthus-
last on trees. especially of the shade or
forest variety, describes himself as "a
newspaper correspondent who has written
up the agricultural advantages and OPP
portunitieS Of many of the fertile river
valleys of Colorado, my home" He gives
his age as seventy-one years, and says
that practically all his time for the past
thirty-six years has been devoted to af-
fairs strictly agricultural, both theoreti-
cal and practical.
The major part Of his life, SO he told a
Star reporter, has been spent in Kansas
and Colorado where he studied expert
manner in forestry trees. At one time he
planted timber claims, and at other times
dug mere seedlings from the forests of
Colorado. brought them to the highest
possible condition Of tree life through Gull
tivation and care, and then disposed of
them, in several instances freeing" as
he described it, public parks in Colorado
cities.
What was my object in planting those
seeds out near Falls church," he asked
when questioned upon the subject at his
home in this city. S15 18th street. Just
simply because I believe in demonstration
That's all. think it is the duty of every
body to become interested in this SUBJ
practical toward placing the timber life
of this country in the same condition it
was 100 years ago.
Hopes to Set Good Example.
Rather than for pecuniary gain. I
gathered those seeds and planted them
right here near the capital of the nation
with the hope that other people would
become interested and do the same thing,
until we should have no dearth of trees
anywhere. And just to show how easily
II can be accomplished / gathered near
~ all of my seeds here in the thickly set
,tled portions of the city.
How did you become interested
in trees?" was asked.
1T may; seem strange. but I'll tell
you When l was a boy about eleven
or twelve years old I happened to be
reading my Bible and ran across the
passage, Behold the fig tree and all the
other trees That made a lasting i'm
preston upon me, and from that dav
to this my love for the tree and its
cultivation has never ceased. Then as
time went on, and the big forests I
used to see In my boyhood out west
disappeared. felt as though there was
something strangely missing, and then
| began to think agafn-hard, and sud-
denly it all dawned on me-reforesta-
ton. We needed to replace the things
which were gone
velt's interest in forestry, and said:
His administration has agitated the
country from center to circumference,
and possibly one of the greatest things
he has done, in my humble opinion, is
the calling of the recent meeting of
governors and the conservation DELHI
erations, in particular to forestry"
Have you called on the President at
alp
NO, 1 have not. But here is a letter of
Introduction to him given me by the Gov
ernor of Colorado, when 1 came here to
Washington last May. You see." contin-
ued Mr.. Gaylor. 1T was my original
intention to go to South America for the
purpose OF studying ana Wrlllng on the
agricultural and forest conditions Of the
republics down there, but l had to give
1t up on account of my age and health. I
didn't realize that years were telling on
me until I reached this city And then it
was I found out that I'd have to forego
the tropical trip. My letter to the Presi-
dent was to be presented before left, as
one probably interested in the things
which attracted me there
Il liked the city very well-you see, ]
had never seen the capital of the nation
before, so ! stayed. After I'd been here
month or more the idea occurred to
me to take advantage of the many seeds
from the trees here going to waste, and
show in a practical way what could be
accomplished with them"
How and where did you gather the
seeds?"
Gathered With a Broom.
"Why, when they began dropping. just
went out with broom and a bag, swept
them up, brought them here. cleaned
them and put them away until I was
ready to plant them I gathered forty
eight sacks of about one and a half
bushels each, and twenty-five of these
sacks 1 planted. The others are here
now for the spring or next fall.
II gathered the acorns for white and
chestnut oak at Arlington. the linden
seeds came from along Massachusetts
avenue, principally between 18th and Goth
streets; the Norway maple from the same
locality; the ash seeds from down be-
tween the White House and the Treasury:
the honey locust out near p and Both
streets. in Georgetown, and other seeds
in different parts Of the city. 1t was
very easy, Just like recreation. Some
times I'd get children to help me. but not
often.
"One or two varieties. I couldn't find
here in the city. I picked up near Falls
Church, they were principally hickory
nuts and sugar maple.
what seeds have you planted SO far?"
about 1.25O.OO0 white oak, American
linden, Norway maple. ash and honey
locust. Those I have here are chestnut
oak. sugar maple. hickory. coffee bean,
black locust, catalpa, yellow wood. syca-
more and yellow poplar. AS 1 said be-
fore. I'll probably plant these next spring
or fall.
And where do you imagine / planted
these seeds?" he continued without wait
ing for the question. why, in a pear
orchard with 800 pear trees, 200 small
cherry trees and several small patches OF
Strawberries and blackberries. The trees
stand from twelve to sixteen feet apart,
and in this space is where the seeds went,
four separate rows between each row of
trees. That is strict land economy.
Acorps Already Sprouting.
"I went out there only last week and
found the acorns sprouting. and every
row In the seven and half acres show
ing signs of plant life that is very en-