Evening star., 1949-10-21
This and That
By Charles E. Trace,OeH

MOUNT RAINIER, Md.
Dear Sir:
In your write up recently about the wild
cherry trees and their fruit you failed to
mention that wilted wild cherry leaves, If
eaten by live stock will kill the animals.
1T does not take large quantity to do
this.
People cutting down wild cherry should
be sure that no live stock can get at the
leaves Prussic acid develops in these wilted
leaves.
Several instances of such poisoning have
occurred in Maryland.
Very truly yours. J. A. c."
... -s. ..> NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE.
Dear Sir: ~.~~-~~.-" -.
In spite Of the fact that Washington is
famous for its trees, there are some that
never should have been planted
Chief among Objectionable trees of the
Capital are the pistillate or female ginkgos.
whose foul-smelling drupes poison the air
each fall at the time of their ripening. II
Although the pits of these vile smelling
ginkgo fruits are edible (they are not ap-
petizing except to Oriental palates) their
revolving odor Is not atoned for by this small
blessing.
Fortunately the staminate or male gink-
gos are not cursed with odiferous fruit. BY
SeeO.
ling ginkgoS with scions of the male form
it would be possible to enjoy this most ele-
CANT OF all trees without having to smell
them.
Let the day hasten when the city Is
adorned with only the staminate form of
this magnificent, geologically ancient, and
unique Chinese confer.
Sincerely yours, H. c. M"
Comes to hand, now, an interesting bulle-
tin from the National Geographic Society on
the subject of autumn leaves.
Like poetry IN spring, leaves in autumn
make perpetual themes, inspiring societies
as well as individuals.
Foreign staff writers and photographers
OF the Society unite, according to the bulle-
tin, in saying that nowhere else on the con-
tinents OF the globe can one find such beau
tiful autumn leaves as In our own dear
United States of America.
1t is best, the bulletin AYERS, because of
combined climate factors.
The temperature must be cool enough to
encourage tree roots to take it easy" says
the National Geographic Society.
Sunlight plays a part, dryness without
actual drought gives the leaves their best
chance to flame. Early heavy frosts, like
too much rain, can greatly curtail the tapes
try OF color between summer green and
winter brown.
Through spring and summer, trees and
plants are busy factories. Their roots take
water and minerals from the ground and
send them in a steady flow of sap to the
leaves.
There, bright green chlorophyl is made
and functions as life blood in combining the
sap from the roots with carbon dioxide
from the air to make the foods that cause
growth.
When tree, taking natures signals,
slows down for dormant period, its roots
curtail the flow Of sap. It's leaves slowly
lose their firm connection with the branches.
Their dominant green chlorophyll decom-
poses and other natural agents of growth,
present in the leaves all the time, get their
chance to show. These are the creators of
the yellows. reds and purples. The autumn
glory is on
Frost's part in the color parade, the
Society tells us, is not as big as is often
supposed.
"The leaf-turning process starts well in
advance OF frost but is hastened by its cold
nip. Other lands of comparable climate
have less OF color show because of the
prevalence of evergreens, or because of trees
whose leaves fall without changing as do
European ashes and elders. Confer ever
green's lose only part of their green attire
each season, the needles of some species
surviving for six or seven years.
The Star recently on this page printed the
observations Of d foreign newspaperman on
the Nations Capital, and the thing that
seemed to strike him most was the way the
city is clothed with trees. Truly, our green
cry is an inspiration as well as a picture,
and it is to be hoped that no amount of
progress Of any sort will be allowed to make
yearly cut In the tree population.
From the days Of Henry James to now,
every one who has been here or lived here
has praised the tree system Of the National
Capital. In giving thought to other prob
LENS, let us be sure to give thought to this.
We are tree-minded nation and city. and
we should work y keep ourselves 50.