The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-05-11
ONE FOR EVERY CHILD
Demonstrations of How to Plant Them
Were Made in Each of the Schools
Friday Afternoon - The Occa-
sion Was Arbor Day.

For the fifth consecutive year the
Il. p. Barden Dry Goods store has pre-
sented Kenosha s school children with
two thousand trees on Arbor day.
Yesterday, May 5th, was set apart
by Gov. Philip to be celebrated as
Arbor day. Every parochial and pub
lie school Of the city was authorized
by Mr.. Barden to offer every child in
the school that had spot of ground
If which to set tree and cared to
put one there, four year old STRIPPING
peach or apple tree. After the presen-
tatlon OF the trees the principal of
each school gave a demonstration to
the pupils on the school grounds as to
how to set the trees so they will live.
1t is hardly possible to estimate the
wealth that has been given Kenosha
in the ten thousand trees which in
these five years have thus been pre-
sented to the city through the gener-
osity of the Barden store.
The first year catalpas were given;
next came elms; the next naples, last
year were apple trees, and this year
because the children seemed best
pleased with fruit trees, two thousand
more apple and peach trees were pre-
sented to them
The immense amount OF wealth
which this adds to the city's resources
may be roughly estimated when one
thinks what last years Offering Of
apple trees alone will be.
The fruit bearing period of an ap-
pie tree is quarter of a century. It
is not unusual for an apple tree to
bear ten bushels of apples yearly in
its prime. When the value Of the fruit
OF two thousand trees for twenty-five
years is estimated at the present prices
of from $3.50 ito 5000 a bushef, Some
sort of an idea of what the gift means
to the city is presented.
Aside from the money value must be
considered the great value in beauty
and shade of the trees as well as their
value as preventive agency in the
matter of floods.
Tt is said by foresters who have
made a scientific study of conditions
that the unequalled spring floods of
the past decade are the result of the
cutting away of the trees in the food
ed districts. A forest of trees, and
scattered trees in lesser degree, alb
sorb the water, they keep the earth
about them from becoming baked SO
that the water when it falls is more
readily soaked into it and in many
other ways are beneficial agencies.
1t is sometimes necessary for one to
know the opinion of outsiders before
townsmen will give full credit to their
contemporaries. In this connection it
is interesting to know that the editor
of New York magazine, EfThe
American City, read newspaper tele-
graphic news Of Mr.. Barden's gift
last year and became interested.
AS result he wrote to Mrs. Brad
ford, superintendent of Kenosha public
schools, with the request that she write
a full account of the gift made by Mr..
Barden. Mrs. Bradford did this and
in the March 1916, number of this
magazine her carefully compiled and
lengthy article was published.
Next the New York World became
interested, and that great metropoli-
tan daily gave space to long article
written by Frank Crane, one of their
special writer's, using Mrs. Bradford IS
article as a basis for his story, and
writing to her for more particulars.
Doubtless Mr.. Barden s generous
gift to Kenosha through the medium
OF its schools will result in the inspira-
ton of men the country over to follow
his splendid example and make gifts
of trees.