Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-27

washington, March III Arbor I
Day Of this year will be celebrated
with more enthusiasm than usual. II
will mark tho fiftieth Anniversary Of
tho Institution ~ Arbor Day Ceremo-
MES celebrating this semi -centennial
will be held nil over the United states
Some foreign countries have followed
the American lead and set aside q tree
planting day.
]. Sterling Morton liz responsible for
The idea. Having taken up his resi-.
dence In Nebraska, then known "a the
"treeless state" he put forth the idcs
~ having an annual tree planting
/ day. At y meeting OF the state Board
Of Agriculture ri Nebraska held in
Lincoln on January 4. 1879, he intro
duced resolution that Wednesday.
Pthe 10th day of April. 1879. he .
especially set apart and consecra ted
for tree planting In the state Of Ne
braska" The resolution was adopted
and prizes were offered for the in
divlduel and the county society re-
sponsible for planting the greatest
number Of trees on this occasion. Tho
plan received wide publicity, md more
than n million trees were planted in
Nebraska on that day.
Two years later Gov. FurHas. of
Nebraska. set aside the "a day nf
April az Arbur Day. and IN 1895 the
State Legislature passed an net desig-
mating April %. Mr.. Morton's birthday
as Arbor Day. and making n leRa
holiday
From its inception until the presen
day. Arbor Day has been celebrated
enthusiastically IN Nebraska. Tree
planting was no new thing in tn
state. ms the earliest settlers foun,
the lack Of timber serious drawback;
Not only was wood needed for fue
! ana fence posts. but wooded ares IA
, the protection Of field crops and frui
trees from winds sweeping across thi
, fat country were imperative But AN
III Mr.. Morton gave his idea to tn
? state. tree planting had been hap
hazard. Nearly a billion trees hav
- been planted in he state since tn
: institution Of Arbor Day. Instead q
o being the "treeless state" Nebrask
q Is now one ~ the leaders I'm prscii6s
g forestry. II being estimated that 700
600 acres have been planted in tree
2 In 1895. in recognition ~ this gres
o change. the Nebraska legislator
passed a resolution giving the stat
the popular name ~ The Tree Plan
Il er's state.
other states Follow.
n Kansas and Tennessee were ~
g next states 10 take 70 the idea. IA
lowing the lead Of Nebraska in is7
O The following year Minnesota ioin'
n the ranks Kansas was much the san
n sort of territory as Nebraska. and II
l. same reasons impeHed the action
that state. Minnesota was forestt
n but the white pine there was heil
j. destroyed at such an alarming ra
with no provision for future requir
o ments. that the Arbor Day idea got
H. quick response there.
J" After Minnesota adopted tho idt
there WAS wait Of some years The
D. ir 1892. North Dakota and Ohio beg
- to celebrate the day. The first Gel
bration in Ohio gave a new angle
r ne spread OF the idea At a nation
forestry convention IN Cincinnati q
, school children took a prominent pal
, 10000 Of them parading through q
4 streets 70 Eden Park. where ire
=, were planted in memory OF great nc
= The children participated in singh
:. and reciting. and in putting soil abo
the roots of the newly planted ire
This occasion was the mag ration
- n making ATbor Day a school festi'
i and OF planting memorial trees a
/ groves.
These new developments came
be known AS the Cincinnati pia
and are regarded as largely resp
esble for he spread Of the ArtOr T.
iaea throughout the rest OF the Uni
States. and even beyond. As a sch
festival Arbor Day is observ, d throul
out the country. Ontario in 1887
aside the first Friday in May ae
flower and tree planting day.
rlan was officially adopted in Spain
1896. Hawaii took ID up in Il
Arbord Day is now recognized Z
celebrated in all Inc dependencies
the United States, in Great Brit;
Il Canada. Australia, the British w
H Indies. South Africa. New Zeaia
Il France, Norway. Russia. Japan Z
II China.
III Climatic conditions make the
II srrvance Of this occasion occur
various times of the year through
the world. In Alabama and Texa
we'll az other places a day aIread
holiday has been selected. In the
Il states named Washington birth
Is also Arbor Day. In Jamaica the
\ is celebrated on Queen Vic.c. las biz