Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-18
A TREELESS CITY


w of love for the city to read
the following editorial comment on
the treeless condition of a great
park in New York city and then ap-
ply this general criticism of the
New York Times to the indifference
of our own authorities to the proper
planting and care of trees in Har-
risburg;-
1t is a melancholy sight to ancient
walkers along the Mall in the Cen
trail Park to see the few poor, dilap-
itated, moribund survivors of its
noble elms. Most beautiful of trees,
they are nearly all gone. All over
the Park the same process of de-
forestation is visible. The great,
handsome trees, the fine trunks
promising to become massive
enough in time for good old dem
drophiles like DR.. Holmes to throw
J his affectionate measuring tape
/ around-where have they gone?
Age, a wretched soil, insect pests,
the bitter cold of the winter of
1917-1S, and lack of intelligent care
have done for them. An elm should
live two hundred years.
The ignorances and eccentricities
of some curious Park Commissioners,
selected, according to the good old
New York formula, for their unfit
ness. have had much to do with the
gradual, with the swift, dearboriza-
ton of the Park. 1t was planned
as a whole. Every tree, every group
of trees, had it's reason from the
point of view of the intelligent
landscape artist. Each Commits
sioner has his own notion. Some
Commissioners have seemed to re-
gard the absurd shrubbery of the
beer garden as the model to be fol-
lowed Beyond the mistakes of ad-
ministrators is the fact that the soil
of the Central Park is one of the
meagerest, thinnest, and meanest in
the world. That being the case, it
should be properly enriched. a park
without trees, without real, upstan-d-
ing. healthy, arrogant trees, is no
park at all. For all it's original
beauties, all the large genius that
planned and constructed it, the Cen
trail Park is getting to be a treeless
park. The city is rich enough. The
city has water enough. The city
has money enough to plant substan-
tial trees in a soil rich enough for
them to live and thrive in. 1t is not
poor little wands and sticks and
treelings that the Park needs. 1t
needs stron~. ~turdy, massive trees.
They cost money. A soil worthy of
them costs money, for it must be
brought from afar. What of it? Do
we want park or do we want a
bare stretch of shrubs and sticks and
buildings and cracked asphalt and
statues that invite the lightning?
It is inconceivable that the ma
grant indifference of our C'+y Coun-
Gil, through it's Park Department, is
based upon a deliberate disregard
of the interests of the city in this
important matter. We prefer to be-
lieve that the municipal authorities
have not given the subject that
earnest study which it demands, but
unless there is an awakening as to
the need of more trees in Harris
burg and consistent care of those
which we have, the next generation
is going to remember with contempt
officials who had so little thought Of
their children and their children's
children.
There are hundreds of fine young
trees in the Island Park nursery
and these should have been set out
this spring. AS to the care of the
trees in the parks and along our
sidewalks, it may be said that a city
forester was recently appointed at
an annual salary of $1,000, but with
practically no provision for the con-
duct of his bureau.
1t should not be necessary to re-
sort to the town meeting form. of
protest against obvious municipal
derelictions, but there is a smolder-
ing fire of criticism which is likely
to burst forth and make uncomfort-
able those responsible for failure in
administration.