Evening star., 1926-04-11
CAPITALS CHERRY BLOSSOMS
GIFT OF JAPANESE CHEMIST
District Resident Who Fought for Years to Have
Trees Planted Tells of Aid of Mrs. Taft and
DIR. JOkichi Takamine.
BY ELIZA II. SCIDNORE.

BY ELIZA Il. SCIDMORE.
Each year al the Japanese cherry
trees bloom in Potomac Park new
tale is invented as to how they hap
pened to get there. The most fan
tastic versions of very plain and
simple series of events, all recorded
in the daily press as they happened,
are passed on with embellishments TO
another seasons inventions.
DR.. Joklchi Takamine, the japanese
chemist of New York and Toxic, in
ventor OF adrenaiin, takadiastase and
many other marvellous substances. OF
fered them as a gift to Mrs. TAFT In
| Aprl. 1909. With splendid n,odesty
| and self effacement, as soon as her
acceptance was assured. he took steps
to have them given in the name OF
the city Of Toxic, and they arrived
as the gift Of the city Of Toxic to the
! city of Washington. d.. Takamine
| paid all the bills, of course. as was
the habit OF that munitiCent person.
1t was an admirable samurai retort
to those first anti-Japanese demon
! strations in California.
| Washington should appreciate the
! first fact that it owes it's unique
Spring glory. that unequaled and eX.
| quiSite flower show, to Mrs. Taft
whose energetic and direct action
once the plan was before her, caused
! the White House gardener to tele.
graph New Jersey nurseries and as.
semble all the Japanese cherry trees
that could be bOught--iust so in all.
! They were planted three days later
/ along the main drive, between the
| polo grounds and the river. and on
past the present Lincoln Memorial.
Hearing Of her interest in his coun.
| trT's favorite flower, DR. Takamine
| offered her 1000 trees, later increa sed
to 5000 trees. and Potomac Park
should bless his memory.
Opposes Other Version.
The National Geographic Society in
a bulletin issued some four years ago
| announced that the idea OF cherries
| along the Speedway originated one
! afternoon during a visit to the cherry
trees tof Mr.. David Fairchild) at In
! the-Woods' by Miss f. r. Scidmore."
Mr.. Paul Russell repeated that inven-
| ton in the American Forest last year.
| must decline that version. The
idea | fear, originated with many
| people long before that day. Every
| American tourist who sees the cherry
| blossoms in Japan wonders loudly
why we do not have aisleS and ave
nues of cherry trees in our American
parks. since the climate permits and
conditions are about the same In
all save our most northern cities. Mr..
t'airchlld's trees We're imported and
planted with great taste and intel
ligence in the years 1902 and 1906
Twenty years before that Washing
ton flower worshipers all knew and
adored the great towering Japanese
cherry tree that used to stand In
Franklin Park at the corner OF Four
teenth and * streets, opposite the
Hamilton House. Later the fine OLD
cherry tree on the southeastern cor
ner Of the terrace at Fifteenth street
and Massachusetts avenue was the
glory of our Spring season. These
two trees were the great Spring
sights of Washington. along with the
wistaria -draped house at Eleventh
street and Massachusetts aVehue-tii
three gone now. the two chslry taeeS
with the march Of time and old age
and the third lately slaughtered by
the demon progress.
Subject Broached Long Ago.
II was only after my return from
. frst visit to Japan in 1885. after
seeing the grand old cherry trees Oh
Iryano Park and the rosy tunnels OF
the Mukoiima, then in its glory !hat
any idea" if one may call II that,
moved me. 1t was in the first year
If president Cleveland's first admin
is,ratton. and / addressed myself 10
Marshall A. A. Wilson with my photo
vranhs of Japanese cherry trees, ana
the plea that since they had TO plant
something in the great stretch OF raw
reclaimed ground by the river bank'
since they had to hide those olo dump
heaps with something. they mignt as
veil pIant that most beautlful thlns
In the world-the japanese cherry
tree The great pink tree towering
in E,ranllIin Park at the time argued
With me. He listened amlaDly ana
cont me on. In the succeeding ao-
Toi,istration of President Harrison,
TOOL, the pictures of the japanese
cherry trees to Col. Ernst. the super,
intendent of public buildings anu
grounds. and made d plea for some
hing of Spring beauty down in the
No s+e snace at the foot of Seventeenth
street. He listened patiently anu
seriously to my fairy tales. Nothing
more Nothing happened. President
cleveland returned to the White
House and the japanese pictures ana
the same old plea were put before the
r,aIp s,Inerintendent of public build
ines and grounds. Col. later Gen.
John NJ. Wilson. That delightful per.
son had ideas of his own. and ne swep.
the pretty pink pictures aside ana
turned his grim official countenance'
,,ts Tra ctical engineers eye on me
aod said. "Yes, And when the cher
rios are ripe we would have to keep
the park full Of police day and night.
The hovs would climb the trees to get
tho cherries and break all the
branches
any cherries. Only blossoms, ven
'u.TN What, No cherries. No cherries!
Huff! What good is that sort OF a
cherry tree?"
Admiral Dewey Helps.
pra vers were of no avail, no mat
+e. how fervent. long or often re.
neated 10 successive Indifferent ana
pI,durate S. P. B. G.s. / came to
LnoIy them all-all the line of SPP. b.
C.s their botanical, landscape ana
asthettc limitations-and realized tnat
there are several things that fhey 40
not teach at West Point. SO nXeo
was the type, so standardized tnelr
minds on park planting, SO much 1ney
resented the unknown ana the un,
tr,ed that I gave up the quest, turned
from the deaf ear and the hard heart,
The wooden routine, Of the whole lot.
There seemed a way to attain tn: de-
sired end by getting annual one-dcl-
lar subscriptions from every traVelef
7 could think Of who had seen the
Sakuras in their glory in Springtime
;r Janan. with especial reference and
anneal to those who had slipped the
Emneror's champagne at the Palace
Snring garden parties-and buying
The the cherry trees for the park. If
we We could give 100 trees every year, in
10 Years there would be a great show
a.. Do<omac Park-a rosy tunnel