Evening star., 1932-10-09
BY ERIE KAUFMAN,
the American Forestry Association.

OF the American Forestry Association.
Y IKE the nobility that they are, the
strain CT Americas trees of tradl-
tion will be kept alive. Under
IL the shadow of the white dome OF
the Capitol at Washington direct
descendants of trees beloved by wash
ington, Lafayette, Jefferson, Lincoln and
other famous sons will carry on the
elcry of their ancestors and keep Tor
ever alive the memory of their fame.
The National Historical Grove, estab-
lished by the American Forestry Asso-
citation, the Oldest forest conservation
organization in America, along the
banks of the Potomac River in Ana
costa Park, will be dedicated through
the associations national nut tree plant
ing project next Saturday by Dan
Beard, the most famous OF all living
scouts, and a band Of 500 picked Boy
Scouts. The park site was made avail
able by the Office of Public Buildings
and Public Parks at the direction CT
Col U. s. Grant, Sd.
Appropriately, the historic soil OF
Virginia will furnish the first tree to be
planted, a walnut tree from Mount YER
non. descendant of one Of the trees
George Washington cherished. The
second tree to be planted, also from
Virginia. will immortalize America S
heroic dead at the Arlington National
Cemetery, scion of one OF the great
trees George Washington Parke Gusts,
Washington'S adopted son. and the
great Confederate leader. Robert E. lee,
both f-rmer masters of the now sacred
ground, knew and enjoyed. The third
tree to be planted will come from the
blocd-stsined grounds of Gettysburg,
where the tide was turned and the
Union preserved"
Boy Scouts, in conjunction with the
American Forestry Association. have
gathered seed at Mount Vernon and
other American shrines and the young
trees are now getting their start in life
under the watchful eye and expert hand
of Department of Agriculture scientists.
They will be transplanted by the Once
of Public Buildings and Public Parks.
In ether sections of the country many
more direct descendants are being pre-
pared for their place in this grove of
tradition.
Whether one is possessed with deep
love for trees or not, this garden OF
tradition. so to speak, cannot fail to
move one to thought and reverence.
Imagine forest where every tree car
ries the strain of fame and history!
Imagine a living document of history
written in growing trees, direct de-
scendants of great old monarchs that
witnessed the real drama of a new
world. that were companions to its
noblest statesmen, soldiers and scholars !!
Such forest. such a document will in
25 years be adding new beauty and new
interest to the already beautiful and
interesting banks of the Potomac.
Perpetuates Washington Elm.
There, in one sunlit corner, perhaps,
an American elm will stand. Beneath
its dark gray bark will flow the same
life stream that kept alive until 1923
the greatest of all of Americas famous
trees, the Washington Elm at Cam
bridge, Mass. No tree is dearer to the
hearts of Americans than the old elm
under which Washington took COM
mand of the Continental Army on July
3, 1875.
Not far away will stand, undoubtedly,
two young horse chestnut trees, in
volving two episodes in the life OF
Washington. One is an expression of
friendship. The tree Of love is a di-
rect descendant of the great old horse
chestnut at Fredericksburg, Va, which
Washington planted, along with IL
others, to shade walk where his moth
er was accustomed to stroll He named
these trees for the 13 Colonies and they
stood on what was at one time the
Kenmore Estate. Twelve OF them have
Succumbed to age and storm, but one
was spared, so that its kind may be i'm
mortalized in the grove of tradition.
The other young horse chestnut-the
friendship tree-is scion of one of the
most romantic trees in the country, the
famous Friendship Tree at Bath, Pa.
The manuscript reveals that Washing
ton and one of his Revolutionary War
officers, Gen. Robert Brown, closed the
stirring days of the fight for lndepend-
ence with a bond of friendship that
was never broken. During one OF Gen.
Browns visits to Mount Vernon after
peace had come to the war-torn Col
onies, his beloved commander, with his
own hands, dug from his garden two
young horse chestnut trees and pre-
sented them to him as token OF
friendship. The saplings were carried
on horseback over the mountains into
the hills of Pennsylvania, where they
were planted at the home OF Gen.
Brown, at Bath Only one Of the trees
survived and stands today as monu-
ment to true friendship. Nearby young
pecan tree may proudly reveal the JET
ferson strain, tracing it back to the
beautiful old tree on the grounds OF
the Georgetown Convent in Washing
ton. This great tree was glft. OF
Thomas Jefferson to friend, who for
merly owned the grounds, because ne
was devoted to the culture OF trees.
Statesmen Memorialized.
Around the trees of Washington and
Jefferson will stand young living me-
MORALS to other great statesmen-men
whose names are monumental IN
American history. A young sycamore
scion of the great, old Oliver Wolcotl
! tree that rears its crown SO ma Jestlcally
on South street at Litchfield, Conn.
will no doubt be prominent among
them. The parent Of this beautiful!
member of the grove is one OF the IL
the famous signer of the Declaration
of Independence set out to memorlallze
the 13 colonies.
Beside the young sycamore, perhaps
an elm scion from Indiana Will rustic
its leaves in a certain humorous os.
i tinction. For beneath its parent a.
Plainfield a President OF the United
States fell sprawling in the mud:
victim, some will say, OF a political
hoax. President Martin Van Buren, was
the unfortunate one. Around Plainf1eld
they will relate that during tour IN
l842, in an exceedingly hostile coun-
try, President Van Buren, aboard 8
stage coach, was given an unwarranteo
rough ride over a road full OF chuck
| holes. Finally the coach plunged against
the roots of large elm and overturned
depositing the President and his party
| in the soft mud. Since that unfortunate
day the tree has been known as tht
Van Buren Elm.