Evening star., 1925-12-05

somewhere along the AnacoStla
is well adapted to the development of
a water garden. the beauty of which
is we'll illustrated by the Shaw water
lily gardens now occupying portion
of the marshes.
l3. Under the aboretum bill il will
be possible To purchase the Mount
Hamilton and Hickey Hill tracts of 367
acres Of forest and intervening hill
land before the advance of the city
turns this area to other uses. Whether
the aboretum he developed rapidly or
slowly. this area ought TO be purcha sed
as soon as the Government financial
program permits.
IA. The examination and mapping
OF the aboretum site by soil expert
in 1921. by direction of Secretary
David +. Houston. show that the soils
of this area are very diverse. over
50 different types being represented on
the map accompanying the. report.
The area was described by Secretary
houston as admirable in location.
topography. present plant cover, and
in capabilities of future Development.
Occasion of Delay.
The failure of Congress to act
sooner in authorizing the acquisition
of this land for an aboretum has been
due To some difference of opinion as
to the use to which II should be put.
1t was originally recommended as part
of the parks system. The famous Nc
MILAN report on the park system OF
the District Of Columbia. presented to
the Senate on January 10, 1902. said:
Mount Hamilton, one of the high
est hills between the AnacoStia River
and Rock Creek rises above the gen
eral level as II steep. isolated summit
reaching an elevation OF 225 feet. al a
point just east of the BladenshurS road
and about three-quarterS OF mile
west Of the AnacoStia flats. over which
il comma ndS very extensive prospects
In other directions also the views are
rema rkably good. especially across the
city in The direction Of the Capitol. I,
which il is nearer than any other hill
of such considerable height. 1t is cor
respondingly conspicuous in the views
from ii large part of the District. 1t i
heavily timbered with n growth quite
typical of southern mountain scenery
which gives it. together with its very
steep slopes, a distinct character. Il
he found so perfectly nowhere else in
the District.
In addition TO these rea sons for pre-
serving it a a park. the cost OF grad
ing streets and cutting the land down
to a level practicable for ordinary uses
would be very excessive. In other
words. the place is admiral bly, adapted
for park purposes and very i'll adapted
for anything else.
Pavilion at Top.
In the development Of Mount Ham.
ilton the leading motive should be 10
preserve and accentuate its peculiarly
mOuntainlike character of vegetation
and surface. and to that end paths and
other artificial constructions should
lie reduced to the minimum compa tible
with its convenient use by the public.
1t was then proposed To crown the
heights with Il single white marble pa
Vilion to accentuate the peak as seen
from distance.
Thus il will be seen that for almost
a quarter of Il century the best eN-
perts on parks and lHndSca ping ha We
united in the belief that Mount Ham.
jlton should be preserved in natura
state very similar 10 the use to which
il is now to he put.
First Proposal Rejected.
Sometime after 1911 when an in.
veStigation was ordered by Congress
regarding proper development of the
Mall and the banks of the Potomac
and the site for a Botanic Garden,
there was agitation for using the
Mount Hamilton tract for a Botanic
Garden. This was rejected by the
Joint Committee on the Librar- and
the Botanic Garden is now being eX-
tended along the bed of the old James
Creek. south of the Capitol.
Since 1917 the use of Mount Ham
ilton tract for national arboretum
has been persistently pressed. This
is one of the chief objectives the
Garden Clubs of America, which in
cludes more than 5000 Of the leading
women of the country orga niZed
throughout the States. They were
represented last year at the hearing
before Congress and III conferences
with The highest officials OF the Gov.
ernment by Mrs. Frank b. Moves
chairman of the Garden club of the
National Capital. who helped in prep
aration of the bill which is To be re
introduced. and an active worker on
the project for more than 10 years.
Backed by Nurserymrn.
Harlan +. Kelsey also appeared al
the hearing representing the Amer
can Association of \urSerymen, the
leading orga niZation engaged in The
industry of growing and selling pla nts
repreSenting an investment Of more
than 5000 zoe. 600. Robert Pyle. repre-
sented the committee on arboretum!
Of the American Association of Nurs
erymen and spoke as chairman of the
legislative committee of the Eastern
Nurserymen'S Association, as a mem
ber of the executive committee of thu
PENNSYLVANIA Nurserymen's ASsocia
ton and as secretary of the American
Rose Society Mr.. Pyle had visited al
the great arboretumS and gardens o
the world, including those of th'
Royal Horticultural Society at Wisely
south of London, and the Bagatell'
Gardens of Paris. Others TO supper
the arboretum proposal at the con
gressional hearing We're DR.. William A
Taylor. chief of the Bureau of Plan
Industry. United States Department
of Agriculture: A. +. Woods, presiden
of the University of Maryland; Johr
G. Merriam president of the Carnegie
Institution of Washington, and w
Dec. RaVenal. representing the Smith
sonian Institution.
Favorable action by Congress on th'
National Arboretum project is ex
pected now since all disagreement ha'
been smoothed away regarding con