Evening star., 1926-04-11

is still too rough to do any plahtiiie.
of course. they could not renect III
the water, but the effect Wouio pe
very lovely OF the long avenue: Le'
me know what you think about this'
Sincerely yours,
April Z, 1909.
ElIns Ordered Removed.
When the s. p. Il. q. was told of
the future avenue of cherry trees ne
said with finality. "But I have plant
ed elm trees along that road.
Take them up, then. Ana Wheh
tbn bundles of cherry sapiin$s ar
rived from New Jersey nurseries TWO
DAYS later, they went into the
ground forthwith, as it was then at
The limit OF time for setting out
young trees. AS if grateful for
their long delayed recognition, those
blessed little gratis bloomed most
profusely the next Spring and nave
the eye each year ana pro-
loneed their great blobs of blossoms
hev0nd all the time noticed III then
Toxic kin. ,.. oe
The day after Mrs. Taft's letter OF
April I, 1909, DR.. Takamine happened
to be in Washington with Mr.. Mlu-
zuno, Japanese consul general III
New York. and when told that NaSh-
ington was to have a AiukoJlilla
along the Potomac's bank, thanks TO
Mrs. Taft. he instantly said: ~,
"Will you find out If Mrs. Tart VIII
accent 1000 cherry trees For her
ukojima? In fact, had better
give 1000 trees. She will need them
to make any show"
Given in Name of Toxic.
no. Don't give them In your own
name. Some one might call II a
reclame. Give them in the name ot
the city of Toxic" said Mr.. Midzuno.
Very WE'LL" said the unselfish one
And, perhaps, when the cherry
trees are once established in Wash
ington park, I can get them planted
in New York. / have offered them tc
park commissioner after park com
missioner, but they would none OF
them have them
Very naturally, Mrs. Taft did ac
cept the offer of 1000 trees and her
gracious note was passed on to the
donor. who then cabled his instruc-
tions to Toxic.
April 90, Consul General AIidzuno
wrote: Il hope you will understand
that the conversation DR.. Takamlne
and ! had with you in Washington on
this subject is just a preliminary step
We are very glad to learn that the
cherry trees to be presented by the
capital city of Japan will be favorably
received.
"On nv veturn from Washington, |
took the necessary steps to approach
the mayor of Toxic through the
proper channel, and I have no doubt
that the formal notification will come
from our embassy in the course OF
time. The cherry trees will not live
if they are shipped during the warm
season, so, j hope you and your
friends will understand that the trees
2an not and will not arrive in Seattle
until some time next Winter, to be
planted in Washington early next
year"
First Shipment Burned.
The Japan Mail Tokio). said De-
,ember ;. 1909: THE Toxic municipal
~ has decided to present Mrs. Taft
with 1000 young cherry trees grown
in the grounds of the Agricultural
College of the Imperial University.
are now being made to
forward them to Washington by the
\. Y. X. liner Ava Maru, which
leaves Yokohama on the 10Th IN
slant"
In January Q910). Mrs. Taft wrote
o q, friend: II am delighted to think
hat there is a chance of the cherry
rees arriving soon. l am anxious to
laye them set out as soon as possible,
20 as to secure their successful
,rovth next Spring" But alas! after
he 1000 trees had been delivered
% the American authorities at the
Seattle dock by the Japanese con-
,uI and the officers of the Ava Maru,
md loaded into refrigerator cars lin
,rder to secure an even temperature
Turing their long ride across the frozen
and had been safely re-
eived at Washington, the experts of
he Agricultural Department decided
hey were infected and infested with
III sorts of scale, insects, larvae and
what not and ordered them burned:
1t was a sad blow to DR.. Takamlne,
out he at once cabled to have 3,O0O
rees gathered and kept under obser-
,ation for shipment in early 1911.
Second Shipment in 1911.
Early in 1911 the second ship
nent of cherry trees arrived at
Seattle, passed on to Washington
after surviving all inspections and
tests in Japan and in this country.
Joyfully, DR.. Takamine offered to
send his very capable Japanese
gardener to Washington to assist in
planting the IL varieties in the COM
binations and places best suited to
them, and in accordance with age-
ong garden traditions in Japan, but
such aid was curdly declined. Our
people of the parks knew quite
enough to set out trees! l got a
word in for having row of
Y Yoshinos, the earliest blooming va
riety, planted around the edge of the
Tidal Basin, where they might be
reflected in the water, as becomes
a. whole 1900 Of the 1900 Yoshino
variety were put there, ranged as
closely as privet sets in a hedge or
currant bushes in q kitchen garden.
A few of the cherry trees were
planted in the White House grounds,
one in Lafayette Square, and some
given to Rock Creek Park. The
rest-some 1900 trees-were crowded
in rows in g. sort of a nursery re-
serve. at the corner of Seventeenth
and B streets.
The Evening Star of March 90,
1911, recorded that Mrs. Taft yes
terday superintended the planting of
a collection of rare japanese cherry
Trees, which had been sent to her by
the mayor of Toxic. One she plant
ed herself. The planting was unof-
ficial. and was attended only by the
Japanese Ambassador and Wis
countess Chinda, Col Spencer Cosby
and Miss Scidmore The idea is to
have a grove on the Speedway"
Those first trees were planted by
Mrs. Taft and Viscountess Chinda
In the open grassy space west of the
Pcul Jones Monument, between the
drive and the Tidal Basin. They
were not marked in any way.
When Col. Harts became superin.
tendent of public buildings and
grounds, in 1913, went to his office