Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-22
Trees of the Capital
By Frederic J. Haskin

Washington, D. c.. Aug. l8.-After
many years Of unregenerate extrava-
gance, We are beginning to appreciate
the value Of trees. Formerly. they
were not considered much Of an asset.
When new land was opened up tor
, settlement the first task Of the settler
was to cut down all the trees In sight
! to make way for corn fields and streets
! and houses; and any man found plant.
ing anything but fruit trees was re-
; garded with suspicion. Now the plant
| ing of trees has become not only an
, economic necessity, but often an IN
dividual obsession. People will have
trees even at the expense of vegetables
and geraniums. In the opening up
, Of new suburban districts, trees are
; better selling agencies than good drain
! age; and the systematic planting OF
stree trees Is being carried forward
on q big scale by all the larger NUM-
! cipalities.
The great and shining example In
street trees is Washington. Here there
are nearly six hundred miles of them,
comprising altogether 100000 trees,
which is on the average Of one to every
third Washingtonian. This number is
exclusive of the park trees, which also
run high up in the thousands. In
summer when the foliage Is at Its best
many of the streets lie under great
arches OF oak and elm branches which
form long areas of escape from the
heat and are one OF the chief factors
in earning for Washington It's repu-
ltation as one of the the most beau
lful of the worlds capitals. zone can
no more imagine Washington without
trees than New York without Broad
/ way or Philadelphia without a native
infection.
| They are the distinctive feature
which attracts the attention of the
Visitor, especially the European. In
Europe, which has long felt the pinch
of tree poverty, the people are ex-
Itremely proud of the shade trees that
line their pavements. Before the war.
those of Paris were considered espec-
Tally remarkable, although they could
: not compare in number or foliage to
those of Washington; but now many
of them have gone to line the French
trenches. In Berlin the street trees
are a sacred institution, protected and
admired by every German citizen who
refused to believe that they are not
superior to any trees in the world.
but Washington's only formidable
rival in the matter Of shade trees is
Buenos Aires. which is close second
in number and beauty.
1 So while the capitol and the white
house and the state war and navy
building often do not impress the for
!, eign visitor. the trees do. In describ-
ling the American capital. former
British Ambassador Bryce said: II
know of no city in which the trees
seems to be 50 much part of the
city as Washington. Nothing can be
more delightful than the views up and
down the wider streets and avenues.
especially those that look toward the
setting sun or catch some glow of the
evening light" ....
Mr.. Bryce even proceeds ITO be en-.
!thusiastic in detail. Look south
ward" he says, down New Hampshire
avenue or even westward along mod
est little N street. and you have the
most charming sylvan views, and all
this by reason of the forethought and
taste of those who have administered
the government of the city and who
have planted various species OF trees.
so that you have different kinds of
sylvan views. When you want fine,
bold effect, what could be more grand
than Sixteenth street. with it's incline
rising steeply to the north. and the
hills Of Virginia as the background?
There are few finer streets in any
city"
Trees were one Of the principal fea.
lures in the original landscape plan
of Washington. individuals planted
many, and Thomas Jefferson was an
enthusiast on the subject. personally
supervising the planting of several in
public places. A row Of elms planted
by Jefferson is still standing.
A little later the war Of 1912 dis.
turbed the tree-planting business. and
not much attention was paid to it
again until 1872 when Washington was
under the regime Of Governor Alexan.