Evening star., 1915-04-04
ORIGIN OF ARBOR DAY.

A RBOR DAY. which has come into
@A notice and favor in many of the
states. Is an observance that is older
| than is generally thought. 1t was
brought into being in that section of
the west where the need of trees was
most seriously felt. The conservation
| of the tree. like the conservation OF
the bird and the wild flower, is a
thought of recent development, or. at
least. thought which seems only re-
Gently to have attracted much public
notice.
Arbor day Is legal holiday in a
NUMBER OF states of the Union, while
In some states 1t is observed as desig-
mated by the governor The tendency
Is to enlarge the number of states in
which the day is observed and to make
IN those states in which the utility of
the tree Is thus officially recognized
The honor of being the father of
Arbor day is said by men who have re-
viewed the history of the subject to
belong to julius Sterling Morton, or
simply j. Sterling Morton, who, though
he came to be widely known through
out the west as a man deeply and in
telligently interested in agriculture.
probably came best to be known by the
main body of the American people as
commissioner of agriculture during the
second administration of President
Gieveland. t,v commissioner of agricul-
ture has strange sound today,
.noush not many years have elapsed
since the Department of Agriculture
was bureau of the Department of the
1t was in 1856 that Mr.. Morton moved
TO Nebraska and took up claim of
land close to the site on which Ne
praska City grew up. He was a young
nan then. having been born in 1882 at
Adams in Jefferson county. New York
ne graduated from Union College in
ls54, and the next year found him on
the public land which he took up in
nepraska- napa X, .. He gave to his place the
treeless section he began the success
fui planting of trees. His interest In
pubic affairs resulted in his being
MADE member of the original Ne
braska territorial board of asriculture.
and when Nebraska was admitted tn
statehood. in 1857. he became a member
OF the state board of agriculture.
WniIe a member of the state board
he offered resolution that April 10
should be recommended to the people
| OF the state as a day which should be
set apart as a. holiday devoted to the
planting of trees. That was in 1872.
The resolution met with considera BILE
opposition III the Doard of agriculture,
The argument was that If people want
ed to plant trees they could do it and
that the setting aside of a particular
day would not induce people to set out
trees.
i =
If the planting of trees was interest
ing and advantageous to them they
would set them out anyway. But the
resolution prevailed, and Mr. Morton,
| in the name of the board of which he
was member, offered a cash prize of
800 to any agricultural society in the
state which would plant and take care
of the greatest number of trees.
The results were as happy as the
promoter of the idea and his support
ers had wished, and two years later.
that Is in 1874. the governor by proc
lamation declared that April 10 should
be Arbor day Out of Nebraska the
idea had spread during the discussion
were two of the states that early fol-
lowed the example of Nebraska Other
Ae,estern states fell in line, because as
J,pulation increased in the prairie
parts Of the country the need of trees
for purposes of shade wind-break ks
and f1rewood was seriously felt
The agitation in the cause of forestry
has been one of the aids to the wild
ening of the observance of Arbor day
The economic value of the tree, the
evils that follow the destruction of
forest tracts. the general perils of
deforestration and the sentimental fea-
lures of tree culture have turned the
thoughts of millions of men and wom-
en- to the subject of trees.
In many of the states Arbor day has
been taken up by the school children
The effect of this is that an interest
in tree-life is inculcated at an impress
sionable age. and that it will endure
throughout lifetime and also that a
great many trees for the adornment
of school grounds. parks, streets and
rural gardens are planted. The chill
dren are a potent factor in the educa-
ton of their parents and older rela-
tives, and knowledge of and interest
| in trees is spread nationwide.