Evening star., 1932-07-02
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
"He who plants trees love others be.

"He who plants trees love others be-
sides himself"
Perhaps that old proverb explains
why SO few people. comparatively
speaking. do plant trees
They are planted mostly In what
might be called a theoretical, or cere-
monial fashion.
A municipality plants them, or some
| organization, upon a special occasion
A meeting of minds decides that a
tree or trees should be put in the
ground, and it is done, either with or
without ceremony.
Few home owners plant trees, not be-
cause they do not believe in them, not
because they do not love them, but
mostly. one may suspect, because they
are unwilling TO wait for them to grow
up.
Our modern habit of remaining in
one place not more than 7 years at
a time. on an average, no doubt helps
account for this aboreal apathy.
Just why city residents have selected
years. as the favcrite time for resi-
dence in any one house, or community
is another matter which must be ex-
planned by the experts
Experts" are always busy explaining
something or other, and after they get
done one is often as much in doubt
about the matter as before
The trouble with experts" is that
they are only human beings, after all
and it is a question whether humanity
is able to explain anything very salts
factorily.
Those who disagree with our thesis
will rush forward with statistics to
prove that so many millions of trees
are planted in this fair land of ours
| every year, SO many hundred OF
thousands of apple trees, pear trees,
cherries. and SO on.
Tall growing Normandy poplars un-
doubtedly are planted by the thousands
every year.
In such large land, with so many
human beings in it, these figures, as
impressive as they might sound mean
little. in comparison with the immense
numbers of trees which might be
planted, presumably, If we all loved
other people as much as we love our
selves.
There are thousands of urban resi-
dents who go in" extensively for the
planting Of shrubs, few of them ap-
preaching tree proportions, and OF
perennialS and ANIMALS, but who some
how never think it worth their while
to put single tree into the ground.
Il probably won't be here to enjoy
it.. is their unspoken comment, in many
! cases. The lack of space, too, has some
thing to do with it.
A tree is a large plant.
1t requires a great deal of room, more
than the average home grounds pos
sesseS, in many instances.
1hiC fort jr, ~ te e.
paucity OF enthusiasm on the part OF
the average man in planting trees.
He realizes the danger
Yet there are many places which
would be improved, both now and In
the future, by the incorporation of a
good small tree.
Trees of rather fair size, in so far as
height is concerned. may be obtained
at what usually strikes the layman as a
ridiculously small price.
So 1t isn't money that mitigates
against the planting of trees.
It's something else, or several some
thing elses.
The calipe-, or diameter, of tree,
is what sends the price up.
You pay a whole lot more for a few
inches that way.
1t is worth it, to the landholder
seriously interested in the planting OF
trees.
BY trees, Of course, we do not mean
so much evergreen varieties, as fine
as they are for their purposes, as de-
ciduous trees, which are the sorts pic
tured by most Of us when we think Of
trees at all
There seems a well defined return
in this country TO the planting of fruit
trees on the small place.
This means, of course, that these