Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-14
ARBORETUM PLANS
WILL Be SPEEDED
e2oo,o 600 to Be Urged. Of
House for Additional Land
for Project.
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

~
assemblies in December All OF the I'M
portant horticultural. botanical and
tree and garden clubs and associations
are giving organized support TO THESE
plans for pushing the arboretum pro1ect
to- completion, so that it may be one OF
the attractions for the olcenIehnlia q.
celebration of Washingtons birth IN
1882.
Added Appropriation Needed.
These steps are:
Eirst--which Is absolutely essential TO
the establishment of the arboretum---,
the passage by the House OF the onI
$ which has already passed tne oe ;1'a.
Authorizing the Secretary OF Agriculture
tn expend an additional 100000 1or
ACQUISITION of an adequate site by pur,
chase of other large parcels OF lano
adjacent to the site already acquired
at An expenditure of 100000. ms
hill has been held up in the House
Committee on Agriculture. Cnal[nnail
Haupen has promised his best enorIs
70 get an early report on the meaS Se.l' 9
@nd Chairman Luce of the House Com
h1ittAe on the Library is in charge OF =
concerted drive by those who are pes S
Informed regarding the needs for anu
Eerits IF such an establishment at the
National Capital to get the Legislation
through the House early IN the De-
een1ber session. More than a score ol
the largest national organlzatlons ~.
tioss ard st1Idy of wild life are ready
a. hor,bard the members OF this COM
so,ttea in behalf of this meritorious
measure.
Mellon support Expected.
second. it is proposed still further 70
n.,larre the Arboretun site oy tne
SIIisition of additional lano laclns
SIadensburg road on the nortnWesIesIH1
corner of the Arboretum to De occupie 90
Nv Green houses of the Department VI
I--Sic,,It,,re which must be removed
Prom fine site they now occupy IN tne
SEsu At fourteenth and B streets TO
Srake wav for the proposed Natlonsl
4rt Museum, facing the great trlangIe
Ia,eIonnoent on which the Federa
SSovernment is now engaged. Because
~ his particular interest in the REQ,
eral building program in the CspiCal
and special interest In the ATT Museum I'm
structure. Secretary Mellon Oh ue
Trsss,,rv recruitment is expected TO
s1ivs his substantial support to the pro-
Tosal. as being in the interest OF en-
cfent economy as well as an aid In the
Timely carrying out OF the reoeIal
building program. :.
If these two "hext steps" are taken II
viii be possible for those in charge OF
developing the Arboretum TO acquire
and lay out the entire vast area from
M street as a southern boundary to the
pennsylvania Railroad tracks on the
north. with Bladensburg ROAD as the
western boundary and Mount Olivet
Cemetery facing the Arboretum proper.
which would extend on the east TO the
Anscostia River marshes, mucn OF
which have already been reclaimed by
Army engineers and are available lor
use In connection with the Arnoretum.
Already what has been known as tine
Mount Hamilton tract" has been pur-
chased. and the Martin, Hemingway,
Glover and Bailey tracts are under
eondemnati ton proceedings. With the
additional $200,0 900 it is proposed to
ACQUIRE the Ross tracts and the two
Miller tracts on Hickey Hill.
First Estimate Was s50O,OOo.
Secretary Hyde of the Department
Of Agriculture explains tnat IN 100,
when the arboretum bills were under
consideration by Congress, it was esh-
mated that the land to be purchased
would cost $500 900, and that amount
waS named In the bill sponsored by
Senator Pepper Of Pennsylvania when
1t was reported from the Senate Com
nlittee on Agriculture and Forestry.
This was subsequently reduced 10
$500. 900, the amount authorized ana
appropriated by Congress, in order to
conform to the financial program OF
the administration at that time.
Secretary Hyde has correspondence
before the House Committee on Agri-
culture awaiting consideration which
emphasizes that when the arboretum
purchase money became available In
December, 1927, it was found by the
A that tho e200 =
600 appropriated would not be sufncient
to buy the whole of the area required.
The beginning Of purchases was de-
layed for several months while an at
tempt was made to obtain supple
mentary gifts of land sufficient to make
up the necessary acreage, but that ef-
fort failed Finally. after conferences
with President Coolidge, Secretary
Jardine gave instructions to proceed
with the purchase of such lands as
could be acquired with the $500, 900
available, and to leave to future au-
thorization the purchase of the neces-
sary remainder.
26S Acres Already Affected.
With the $500 900 already authorized
and appropriated, 100 acres of land have
been purchased for the Arboretum and
10 acres more are now in process OF
acres.
The $780, 900 authorized in the Nc
Nary bill which passed the Senate and
which is identical with the Luce bill
pending before the House Committee.
would make possible the purchase Of
the remaining parcels of privately
owned land from M street and Mount
Olivet road on the south to r street on
the north and eastward to the Anacostia
marshes, a total Of 1875 acres. The
eastern border of the area would ex-
tend from NJ street northward to the
Pennsylvania railroad. The land avail
able for Arboretum purposes would
then lie in fairly symmetrical. COM
pact body, Secretary Hyde points out,
and so would be much more useful and
convenient and more economical Of
operation than the unconSolidated par
GELS thus far acquired.
Because of the steady advance Of land
values in that section and the proba-
bility that such advance will continue
as additional streets. are. opened. pur-
chase of this land at an early date Ia
important from the standpoint of econ
only as we'll as to make possible the
orderly and effective development OF
the Arboretum project, Secretary Hyde
declares.
Scientific Research Intended.
The chief purpose of the National
Arboretum will be TO promote scientific
research and diffusion of knowledge OF
plants, as we'll as to establish garden
for the permanent preservation Of the
authentic living specimens Of the
thousands of plants which the Depart
Ynent of Agriculture has introduced
from foreign countries.
It will be something of plant mu-
scum wherein the cultivated plants anc
their wild relatives growing together iT