Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-12-06
Making Shady Roads for Flu.
ture Generations.


If young lovers Of the future DO
not take to the air for their summer
ioy rides, they will find ideal condi-
tions for romance by driving along
the highways of Minnesota. Long,
smooth stretches Of road, shady lanes
and stately trees-all will be there.
Minnesota is building a 7,O0O-mlle
state trunk highway system, and is
lining the roads with trees.
ga state of tree-lined highways"-
such is the goal of W. T. Cox, state
forester, who has set out to prepare
Minnesota for this rather pleasant
distinction. During the past year, with
the cooperation of the State High
way Department and interested cit
izens, he has planted 10000 trees
along the highways of Minnesota. But
that's only a start. AS quickly as pos
sible, he is to plant trees along all
the 1000 miles of the state trunk
highway system. 1t will take some
wears to finish the job, and require
many thousands of trees. After that
he hopes to extend the work to all
the local and connecting roads. Every
highway in Minnesota lined with
trees-that is the ultimate goal.
Consider the prospect, a paved or
gravel road through continuous
lane of trees. Sounds inviting, doesn't
it? So it did last spring when Mr..
Cox launched his campaign. Civic
and commercial organizations were
quick to join in the movement. So
were the municipalities. The Boy
Scouts and the American Legion en-
Enthusiastically took up tree planting.
All Mr.. Cox and his assistants had
to do was to furnish the trees. He
found everybody ready to put them
out. In fact, he couldn't begin to sup
ply the demand.
Because of this cooperation and
partly because of fortunate pur-
chase, planting one Of those trees at
the side of Minnesota road cost
the state just little more than two
cents. For S678, it planted trees along
more than 100 miles of highways, and
retained a generous number for re-
placement next year.
Now, there's a valuable lesson in
that, not only for Minnesota, but for
other states. 1t suggests most etfec-
tive way of making our highways at
tractive, almost without cost, and at
the same time it constitutes splen-
did illustration of reforestation, now
so much needed in this country.
Suppose we look into the future a
bit and see what we may expect from
S67S. In the highway planting in Min
nesota this year, black walnut was
used. Later, other varieties of trees
are to be planted, depending upon
conditions in the localities where the
planting is done. But the first years
work was confined to black walnut
+raoe which were set out in South
ern Minnesota.
In 20 or 80 years, these highways
will be lined with fine, big trees. For
that s67S, the state will have more
than 100 miles of roads bordered
with attractive trees. Nor will the i'm
provement be of passing moment.
The walnut trees will live from $50
to 200 years, according to Mr.. Cox.
The other varieties selected for high
way planting likewise are long lived.
Thus, one of these two-cent trees will
go on shedding it's benefits upon sue
ceeding generations. Indeed, lining
highways with trees makes very
impressive monument for the future.
P. o. Anderson, silvicuiturist of
the Minnesota Forest Service, put the
case this way:
"Trees along the roadside protect
the traveller from the direct glare of
the sun and the hot, dry winds of
summer. A journey through region
barren of tree growth will soon con-
vince anyone that roadside planting
is almost as necessary as road i'm
provement. 1t increases the value of
the state as soon as such planting is
started, and it continues to increase
it yearly as the trees grow. The peo-
pie are beginning TO appreciate this.
! have known road commissioners