Evening star., 1925-12-05
BY WILL u. KENNEDY

Of very extraordinary and varied 10
biographical conditions. two important
projects are to l,' urged upon the IN
coming Congress.
ID Acquisition of some 400 acres IN
what is known as the Mount Hamil
ton tract. to he developed into the
best national arhoretum in the world
SURPRISING the Arnold .Nrhoretum
near Boston the shaw Gardens in ST
Louis and even the WoTld-tamed Kew
Gardens in London.
t2) Selection of a site of at least -
acres for a great stadium like the IA
NOUS Yale Bowl or those in Los An
GeleS or Pasadena. calf. which would
accommodate at least 100000 persons.
Coupled with the beautiful ath etc
park on the .inacnStia shore. which is
hein@ developed into the finest
water front park in this country. and
with the large Government reSeiva-
1ion on which is the National Train
ing school tor Boys. and with the
chain uf connecting parkWayS and the
Fort drive. the now unsightly eastern
entrance 1" the capital would he DIS
tinctiy,ly different hut fully as attrac.
tiv" - the "ppruach To the City Of
Washington from any other direction.
VIII Introduce Bills.
E.ariy nest week senator George
Wharton Pepper "f PENNSYLVANIA and
Representative Luce of MaSSachu
settS. chairman Of the House commit
tee on the Library. will reintroduce
their Identical bills authorizing the
purchase of the Mount Hamilton tract
for a national arhoretum and an ap-
preparation of 5000. 900 to begin buy
inc the land.
For more than a quarter Of = cen.
ll int
eventually purchase the Mount Ham,
iiton tract, which lies along the BIa.
denShurG road Just south of the Ma.
ti"nal Training School for Boys prop,
ertN, and backing against the Ana.
costa River and kincm4n Lake.
Senator Pepper and Representative
Luce. Secretary of Agriculture Jar
dine and others who have been par.
ticularly interested To have this land
acquired for AN arboretum before il
i deSpulled for commercial uses have
recently been in conference with PreSi.
dent Coolidge. who iS sympat hetic 10.
ward the project. At least five mem
bers of the Presidents cabinet are
ready I" lend their support.
Has strong support.
This legislation has the VERY active
support of such important organiZa-
tionS as the National Academy of Sci.
enceS. National Research Council.
Smithsonian Institution. Carnegie In.
SfltutiOn of Washington. Garden CIuh
Of America. Botanical Society of Amer.
lea. American Society Of T.ardSCaDe
Architects. American Association OF
Nurserymen. National Audubon So.
cletleS. American Forestry Associa tion
American Pharmaceutical .tssocia ton
2 nd American Association for the td.
Va ncement OF Science.
The Pepper Luce bill which has The
support Of Secretary .Iardine. who. a.
former president of the Kansas State
Agricultural College. appreciates fully
the potential value of such nationa
arhoretum aS is proposed. besides di.
rectlnE the purchase of this land and
directing the Secretary of Agriculture
to establish a national arboretum for
the propa aGation of trees and plants.
also authorizes him to occupy adioin.
ing land now owned by the Govern.
nent. subject To the approval OF the
President.
This is mostly a marShN stretch
along the banks of the Anacostia
River. which is now being reclaimed.
II is estimated that an additional 400
acres may thus be Salvaged for eX-
pansion of the arboretum. and he used
in part for aquatic plants.
summary OF IrOJect.
The best summary of what is con
templated in this development is
found in statement prepared for
the House committee on agriculture
last year when there was a hearing
on this subject. Dr Frederick Y.
fovilie. chief hotaniSt of the Depart
ment "f Agriculture. presented the sit
uation AS follows:
!. The ahoretum will contain a
comprehensive collection of trees and
other outdoor plants for purposes of
scientific research and education.
,. II viii serve as an Introduction
garden for the permanent prcSerVa.
tion of authentic living specimens
Of the th"usa nds Of plants introduced
by the Department Of Agriculture
from foreign countries.
J. II VIII contain all the wild reIa-
tives Of cultivated plants which will
grow out of doors in this climate
and Will he an invaluable source of
material for the breeding of more
valuable varieties
4 1t will furnish such a knowledge
of the breeding of forest trees as will
make it possible. when the country
reaches the point of setting out its
forests. to use improved varieties
which may grow twice as fast as
those we now use.
Material for Breeding.
5. II will furnish material for the
breeding of diSeaSe-reSiStant varieties
10 replace many of the present cul-
tivated varieties which are of high
quality but So subject to disease that
he cost OF their treatment is a heavy
burden on American agriculture.
6. As "A living collection Of the
nd .pi.4 a
other cultivated plants ii will con
stitute a series of standards 10y which
10 eSta biSh the identity of the plants
in the American horticultural trade
The plants in an agricultural
experiment station may he likeued to
ihe books which one keeps in his
office for continual everyday use
while n national arhoretum may be
regarded as a great library of living
'rees and plants from which one can
obtain at once whatever he needs foI
some special investigation or expert
ment.
s. The national ahoretum at Wash.
lngton will constitute an outdoor
recreation area of 500 to 500 acres
which will also be an instrument of
widespread public education in botan-
teal science, horticulture, agriculture
and landscape gardening.
=. Inc CltN OF w aSnlnSlOn now mas
about 200 professional botanists, most
Of them engaged in the advanceme mt
Of American agriculture through their
connection with the United States De-
partment of Agriculture. The effec-
tiveness of the work of these men and
women will be enormously increased
through the facilities afforded by Il
national aboretum.
To- The plan of the aboretum in
cludeS the preservation of large
tract of the original wildrice growth