Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-30

| tree experts have made a countrywide
| reputation for solving the problems of
| tree welfare in the open they receive
| hundreds of letters in which their adj
! vice as to urban tree planting and tree
care is asked.
Growing trees along the streets of
villages and towns and establishing
them along the thoroughfares of great
| and complex cities are two very DIFF
ferent things, the forestry experts point
out They soon convince the seekers
for Information that the broad ques-
ton. what is the best tree for city
planting" must be accompanied by de-
tailed information as to conditions be-
fore it can be answered intelligently. =.
Practically any tree that Is adapted
to the climate, they say. can be grown
in the small town where the streets
are unpaved and where roots have al
most the freedom that they would nave
in their natural surroundings. When
it is desired, however, to grow shade
trees along the streets of the modern
large city where only narrow park
ways are available for the paintings
there is much less room for choice. for
many species cannot stanu the artlnclai
conditions.
In addition to cramped root space
city trees have many other difficulties
to put up with, the tree experts find,
that are Unknown to trees in their ma
tive forests. Escaping gas from the
mains that may lie only few feet
from their trunks kill many street trees
| through poisoning the roots sewer
gas, which also sometimes permeates
the ground in cities, Injuries tree roots
Still another factor tending toward
the injury of city trees is the smoke
that is present in the atmosphere OF
many large communities to SUCH an
extent that considerable quantities of
SCOT are deposited on the leaves and SO
clog the pores. Again, where trees are
growing from areas of only rev
square feet of soil, while all about
them is an unbroken eXpanse of as
nhalt. cement or other waterproof
material, they often secure too little
moisture Finally, trees that are grown
along streets whose surfaces are treat
ed with tar preparations may De IN
jured by the teachings from such SUP
stances.
There has been much speculation
from time to time whether the stray
electric currents that dodge ABOUT
underground in every modern Guy,
playing havoc with water and gas pipes
and metal foundations. have any III
effects on trees growing in their pains.
The forestry experts of the govern
ment however, have been unaple 10
find that trees are Influenced IN any
way by such earth currents or by the
passage of electrically-ch wires
through their branches.
When the effects on the various KINDS
of trees of the many artificial condl-
tions of the city are conslaereu aHe
forestry specialists find that certain
species and even certain varieties with
in a species are much more resistant
than others. While there may be sev-
eral kinds of trees in each cllmatlc
area that will grow under urban con-
ditions, they find that practically no
tree thrives in cities all over the coun-
try so well as the sycamore: Next IN
Importance, perhaps. as rellaple cry
trees, say the foresters, come certa am
of the Norway NAPLES and some OF the
oaks. The trees that have been FOUND
to be among the least satisfactory
when planted in cities are members OF
the linden family. sugar maples anu
cottonwoods.
ont by the bureau of forestry invest1-
gators is that no city IN the coun-
try, so far as is known, has ever piaiit-
ed coniferous trees along It's streets'
though there seems to be no good rea-
son why they would not thrive in cities
in some parts of the United States. The
beauty of the conifers as !hey grow
in nature has long been admired. 1.
is something of mystery 70 .ne ire
experts of the bureau of forestry why
no city father or civic committee
seems ever to have seriously concelveo
the idea of transporting some OF tnis
particular beauty to the streets under
their care.
Uncle Sam stumbles upon strange
facts sometimes through his corps OF
observers scattered all over
M;du,ou the world tdsfnd. primarily,
new openings for American
ASlanu. trade extension. One OF the
oldest bits that have come recently 10
the Department of Commerce from con-
sula.r or commercial agents furnished
the details of the construction OF what
might be called hand-finished' Is
land in the middle Of the Pacific ocean.
The island, mere speck in the great
Pacific more than 1900 miles east or
Honolulu. is known as Midway and IS
used as a relay station for the cable
that connects San Francisco with the
Philippines and China. The bony
framework of the islet was built
through countless ages by the work OF
myriads of coral polyps. but the men
who must spend a weary time on the
isolated point of dry limestone making
possible the maintenance OF electric
communication between the new world
and Asia wanted more than the frame
work of an island and conceived the
idea of making soil. The steps they
are taking have added an unusual
product to the list of Hawaiian ex-
ports-earth.
Every three months when supplies
are taken to the cable employees on the
island, the agent of the Department OF
Commerce reports, a shipload of soil
Is taken and spread over the coral
surface The surfacing of the islet has
been in progress for some time and has
already reached the point where it Is
possible to pasture a COW on the man
made meadow.
That an evolution of schools devoted
to secondary education is in progress
all over the coun-
American High try n as De n
School Growth. United States bu-
reau of education by recent survey
In numerous ways, it is shown, the
school system is steadily changing, so
as to reach a greater and greater per-
centage of the child population and to
give to the pupils an education that
is better fitted to their individual needs
than that which has been given IN the
past. In the past ten years. it was
found. the number of public high
schools has increased from less than
S. 900 to nearly 1900, while the ag-
eregats enrolment has climbed from
less than $4,000 to approximately
100000.
One of the marked changes disclosed
l l.,