The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-28
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FIFTY YEATS or ARBoR DAY.

monies celebrating this semi-centen-
NAL will be held all over the United
States. Some foreign countries nave
followed the American lead ana set
, aside a tree planting day
J. Sterling Morton is responsible TOT
the idea. Having taken up his resi-
dence in Nebraska, then known as the
''treeless state" he put forth the idea
of having an annual tree planting DAY:
At a meeting of the State Board OF
Horticulture of Nebraska, held in Lin
coin on January 4, 1872, he introduced
a resolution that Wednesday, the
10th day of April, 1872, be !:
especially set apart and consecrated
for tree planting in the state or Ne
braska" The resolution was adopted,
and prizes were offered for the indi-
vidual and the county society respon-
sfble for planting the greatest number
of trees on this occasion The plan re-
ceived wide publicity. and more than
a million trees were planted IN Ne
braska on that day.
Two years later Governor Furnas.
of Nebraska, set aside the 3rd day of
April as Arbor Day, and in 1885 the
state LEGISLATURE passed an act desig-
mating April %, Mr.. Morton's birth
day, as Arbor Day. and making 1t a
legal holiday.
From its inception until the present
day Arbor Day has been celebrated
enthusiastically in Nebraska. Tree
planting was no new thing in the
state.
the lack of timber a serious draw
back. Not only was wood needed for
fuel and fence posts. but wooded
areas for the protection of field crops
and fruit trees from winds sweeping
a cross the flat country were impera-
tive. But until Mr.. Morton gave his
idea to the state, tree planting had
been haphazard. Nearly a billion
trees have been planted in the state
since the institution Of Aroo- Day.
To- - h.-fwa f1,n arN-R1 feas. fr1H
Nebraska is now one of the leaders
in practical forestry. it being estimat-
ed that zoe, 600 acres have been plant
ed in trees In 1895, in recognition
legislature passed a resolution giving
the state the popular name of The
Tree Planters State"
Other States Follow.
Kansas and Tennessee were the
next states TO take to the idea. follow
ing the lead of Nebraska in 1876. The
following year Minnesota Joined the
"a nks. Kansas was much the same
sort of territory rs Nebraska, and the
same reasons impelled the action of
that state. Minnesota was forested,
but the white pine there was being
destroyed at such an alarming rate,
with no provision for future require
ments, that the Arbor Day idea got a
quick response there.
After Minnesota adopted the idea,
was q walt Oh some years linen
in 1882 North Dakota and Ohio be-
gan to celebrate the day. The first
celebration in Ohio gave new angle
to the spread of the idea At a national
forestry convention in Cincinnati the
school children took a prominent part,
1000 of them parading thru the
streets to Eden Park, where trees
were planted in memory of great men.
The children participated in singing
and reciting, and in putting soil about
h. &c nf Tha ~ MA tod
This occasion was the inauguration of
making Arb0r Day a school festival
and of planting memorial trees and
groves.
These new Developments came to be
known as 1.-The Cincinnati PLAN and
are regarded as largely responsible for
the spread of the Arbor Day idea
turnout the rest of the United States,
and even beyond. AS a school festival
Arbor Day is observed turnout the
country. Ontario in 1887 set aside the
first Friday in May as a flower and
tree planting day. The plan was Of
ficially adopted in Spain in 1896.
Hawaii took it up in 1906. Arbor Day
is now recognized and celebrated in
all of the dependencies of the United
states. in Great Britain, Canada, Aus
tralia, the British West Indies, South
Africa, New Zealand, France, Norway,
Russia, Japan and China
Climatic conditions make the OBJ
servance of this occasion occur at va
rious times Of the year thruout the
world. In Alabama and Texas as
Wen as other places a day already a
holiday has been selected In the two
states named Washington's birthday is
also Arbor Day. In Jamaica the day is
celebrated on Queen Victoria'a birth
day. In many of our states it is COM
bined with Bird Day. The date is
earlier in the south and later in. the
north of our own country, the dates
running from February to May.
War Aided Tree Planting.
The recent world war gave tree
planting an added impetus. The idea
or memorial trees was put forth and
well throughout the coun-
try. Memorial groves and trees for
the heroes of the late war are being
planted generally thruout America
now. Lining roads with trees in men,
DRY of the soldiers killed in France
was taken up also, the roads being
given the designation, Roads of Re-
The colleges have taken up me-
mortal tree planting with vim. The
University of Washington. at Seattle,
has planted So trees in memory of
the 81 men and one woman student
who gave up their lives in the world
war. Hereafter on Armistice Day ad-
ditional trees will be planted in
memory of these student heroes, No
vember being a good tree planting
Ailohtfl IN lle NOrIhKeSt. BESIDE this
tree planting the university dedicated
Memorial Way. one of the main en-
frances to the campus
Pennsylvania State college IS ar
ranging to plant trees in a giant 'S''
on the shoulder of Nittany mountain,
where the trees can be observed from
the college campus.
What the Future Holds.
In a generation or two, if the good
work is kept up--and it is sure to be
America will have escaped the
threat OF deforestation it has faced.
It will produce ell of the lumber it
needs and will be able to export some
without impairing the supply for the
future. There will be wooded and