The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-03-26
Civic League, at Meeting Yesterday,
Learned of What is Being
Donc In This
Respect
TREES, GENERAL TOPIC
Several Speakers Told About the
Various Phases Of Tree Culture
and Trimming OF
Branches.

| AL the meeting or the civic league on
Saturday afternoon Mrs. ]. J. Ayres,
the president, read the report Of Mrs
Leonard Matless. the chairman Of the
school garden contest, who said that
$4,000 worth of seeds had been order
ed by the children for use in their
gardens. Beside these many Of the
children use the free seeds which are
sent to the league in large quantities
! by Congressman Kennedy. Twice as
many seeds have been purchased by
the children this year, as last year.
Mrs. Ayres reported that the two
school gardens in the Wells and Lin
coin districts are to be fenced this
week, the Civic league to pay for them.
She expressed her appreciation Of the
aid which had been given her by r. A.
| Dollery, who in addition to his ad-
vice regarding the fences, had given
two gates. The children Of the Wells
district planted more than a hundred
bulbs last fall and already the tulips
and crocuses are several inches above
! the ground. On Tuesday, if the wealth
er continues fine, the seeds are to be
| planted.
The children of the Lincoln district
have been studying the arrangement
Of flowers in gardens, and there will be
no hit and miss work done in that
garden. They will probably ask their
friends a little later to share with
them some hardy plants as peonies and
some Towering shrubs, these to be used
as border next the fence. The pa
rents living in the neighborhood OF
these two gardens have promised to
supervise the children during the va
cation period and there will be no
weeds allowed to grow and in the hot
months the plants will be watered and
cared for. 1t was reported that the
Retailers league will give a sum of
the best gardens.
Miss Caroline Baldwin reported two
of the Main street drinking fountains
to be out of repair and that plumber
had been engaged to furnish new
mouth pieces for the fountains at
Third and Seventh streets. It was
also reported that the Birge fountain
in Rand park is out Of repair and the
ordinance governing 1t was looked up
and read. 1t was drawn up in 1900
and is No. 31S. The ordinance pro-
vides that the city should keep the
fountain in order A committee was
named to call the attention of the
commissioners to the matter.
The park Is never mentioned In the
Civic league that it does not call up
the need Of a policeman at night in
the park. The members feel pretty
strongly on the point that the park
should be lighted at night or that a
policeman should be there.
Program Topic Is Trees.
The program for the afternoon was
on the general subject Of trees. Mrs.
Robert NJ Lapsley had for a subject,
The Planting and Caring Of Street
Trees, and gave the three methods of
supervision of trees, municipal. CO.
Operative and individual. Miss Eliza
beth Collier had for a subject, The
Peril of Our Shade Trees. The read
ing dealt with the best sort of trees to
plant and some of the dangers which
beset trees. particularly in cities.
Mrs J. F. Elder made plea for the
intelligent trimming of trees, Mrs. w.
IG. Blood read the city ordinances re-
garding the trimming of trees, and
gave two or three state laws against
injuring trees. Mrs. Whitney. Mrs.
Wilcox, Mrs. Merriam. Miss Martha
Baldwin and Miss Gilmore all spoke
informally on the topic.
Committee is Named.
At the suggestion Of Miss Baldwin,
a committee was named by the presi-
dent, whose duty it is to have an In
terest in trees and to create an in
terest in them in the city. Mrs. H. o.
Whitney, Miss Baldwin, Miss Mary
lM. Johnstone and Mrs. N. T. Wilcox
were named.
In the discussion of school gardens,
the plans for identifying the city by
window boxes as it has been tried in
Seattle. Minneapolis. Davenport and
Waterloo was discussed.
The corresponding secretary, Miss
Caroline Baldwin, was asked to write a
letter of inquiry to one Of these cities
to find how the window box campaign
was started and with what success and
some of the difficulties. The next meet
ing of the league will be the annual
meeting and the chair named as
nominating committee Mrs J. F. Elder,
]