Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-10-07
Ehrntng Utat

Autumn has begun to touch the
trees on the First Mountain and some
OF those on the York Hills and in
WILDWOOD park are showing signs that
Jack frost has been doing skirmish
duty. quite a number of trees in the
wildwood district have commenced to
lose the brilliant green that was so
attractive q fortnight ago and the pop
lars nave frankly started to toss off
some OF their foliage, while the
peeches have turned pale at the
tnou ught OF the rigors of winter. Along
the River Front some of the older treet,
are preparing for winter, although the
younger ones as though inclined to
SCOTT at age and with the robustness of
youth are still showing their colors as
though 1t was still July 1t is on the
FIRST Mountain. the Blue Mountain,
as 1t is known by those who come
from the east and behold in il the ad-
vance guard of the mighty chain that
runs from the New England States
10 the far south, that the first colors of
autumn are to be seen. Some of the
trees are turning yellow, while others
are displaying tints of russet and
brown and light green which are the
premonitory symptoms of the days
when the earth will be brown and bare
and the limbs of the trees stand stark
awaiting the coming of the SHOWS.
just at this time the mountains we'll
repay visit. The air is fine for a
walk and one can see up on the side
OF tree lighter shade, possibly yell
lows or browns or even red. In an
other week the gorgeous colors will
pc seen and The lover of nature will
hnd endless delights right within
sight of the dome of the State Capt.
| tol.
When one thinks of it does it not
seem strange that no steps have ever
peen taken to secure or pre-empt the
hrst Mountain for municipal forest?
Years ago when the Kiess municipal
forest act was passed by the Legislature
there was talk of Harrisburg which
was pushing its park system up
through Wildwood park, acquiring
land on the slopes of the mountain
for city forest. The value of such
acreage is commencing to be recog-
nized by cities all over the land and
some of the smaller boroughs have
taken over by purchase or preliminary
| legal steps amounting to notice, tracts
OF mountain land lying within half a
dozen miles for the purpose of de-
veloping them for breathing spots for
years to come. Harrisburg FORUM
ately has provided itself with parks
and parkways beyond the custom of
pennsylvania cities of greater age, but
the time will come when it will ap-
preciate more than it does to-day the
beauties of the outpost of the Appal-
achians which has seen John Harris
trading post blossom into a fair city.
A municipal forest does not mean a
woodlot such as Nuremberg and other
IGerman cities possess, but "a city
woods where picnics can be held or
persons ramble and enjoy nature with
out encountering trespass signs and
where wild creatures may be as free
to grow as the ferns and the lichens.
In spite of the frosty touch of the
morning air there are still a number
of blackbirds to be seen about here,
although their eventide chattering
must be more or less devoted to COM
ments upon the brand of weather and
the flying schedule to the valleys of
Virginia. Last night several flocks
were observed at Reservoir park and
at Paxtang, while there are reports of
the birds being noted in Wildwood and
even in the remnants of Hoffman's
woods. The birds are fat and sassy"
and display such intense interest in
everything going on that one wonders
If they are the same birds who spreefc
themselves hereabouts during the
summer or are wayfarers from up
York State.
Talking about the coming of Au-
tumn's real days reminds one of the
number of football scrimmages to be
seen on the lots in and about the city.
They cannot be dignified by the name
of games except on Saturday after
moons. All the rest of the time they
are purely practice. 1t has not been
so many years ago since football teams
were rare. Now they are as numerous
as baseball mines, many of them be-
ing composed of youths who play
baseball in summer. Football para
phernalia used to be a sight to cause
people to turn around and look on
the street. Now it is nothing out of
the ordinary. A dozen or so years ago
boy with canvas jacket was envied.
Now a complete football outfit is
nothing and the possessor of a foot
ball is no longer the king pin of
lneighborhood.