The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-06-10
TREES AS BEAUTIFIERS
Result Obtained In Holland Throuuh
Systematic Culture

OtateS 10 Drlng ABOUT systematic
cultivation Of trees, not only by
seforestation on a grand scale, but
by the growth of shades trees in
towns and cities for the ornamental
:; ton of streets, the experience of
Holland in providing forest effects
for its citizens should be of in
terest to Americans. There is
], perhaps no other we'll populated
a country in the world which has so
o many well wooded towns as has
II Holland. Most of the streets and
10 grachts, or canals, have avenues
= of trees. Utrecht has two rows of
trees on either side of its quaint
,e canals. Its canal banks are con-
structed as if in two stories. The
lql lower story, almost flush with the
Wy water level, is lined with ware
p, houses and vaults, while the upper
,e story has dwellings and shops,
Both levels are planted with tress,
Vi the tops of the lower ones just
. reach the street level.
e. So many avenues of trees make
n a Dutch town exceedingly pleasant
! especially on a hot day. The
= foliage tempers the glare of the
sun, and the vistas of green are
d refreshing to the eye. But these
u, abundant growths in thickly popu-
lated towns are highly useful as
: we'll as ornamental 1t is recog-
7 nized that from a hygienic point
v, of view they are valuable to the
citizens.
Not only do shady walks tempt
people TO enjoy the open air, but
the living roots in the soil have a
purifying effect, which was by no
n means to be despised in the past,
- when the drainage of Dutch towns
:, left much to be desired. Further,
Il the foliage produces ozone and
n purihes the air. It also tends to
keep the air moist and to temper
= the wind, thus causing less dust
: Ee be blown about. In the autumn
Il the fallen leaves give the same
kind Of service that is given by
tea leaves scattered on a floor when
the room is to be swept-they lay
the dust. More important still,
trees wage war upon noxious
bacteria, for investigations by
scientists show that these harmful
growths are comparatively rare
where trees are plentiful. Besides
all this, the aesthetic value of
!, beautiful trees certainly is not
e small.
z In Holland all these useful
services are gratefully recognized
i and the trees are carefully tended
! by the municipalities. The cost
n ,of this care per capita in the
Y different towns varies somewhat.
Last year, for example, Utrecht
VI devoted 81 cents (Dutch) to its
4 trees for each inhabitant and The
Hague 20 cents for each of its
100000 citizens. 1t takes 21z
! Dutch cents to equal an American
y cent. About ten years ago the
u annual cost of caring for the trees
q of The Hague was I9 cents
~ Dutch per capita, but since that
Z time many new trees and shrubs
\ have been planted throughout the
z city, and new parks have been laid
n out.
s 1t has been found that not every
4 kind of tree will thrive in the
streets Of town, for trees have
many enemies both above and be-
low the ground Gas escaping
from pipes underground is the
worst enemy of trees, because
quite small quantities of it are
deadly. For this reason special
precautions are taken against the
leakage of gas in Dutch towns.
How electricity escaping under
= ground acts upon trees d, yet has
not been sufficiently studied to be
understood. Trees will not grow
in very narrow streets where the
houses are high. Neither will
they thrive if the pavement does
not let in moisture and air in suffi-
Gent quantities.