| Show fa TO HONOR THE constitution PLANT TREES by ELMO SCOTT WATSON EXT year we the llie people of tile the united states will celebrate celen N rate tile the one one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of tile the adoption of the constitution under which we have been governed as a nation for a century and a half an and among other ways of observing that anniversary we ive re goin going to say it with trees at least it is so planned by the commission which lias has charge of the lie celebration tn in a recent report to congress cong rass the commission said A feature in the nationwide nation wide celebration which will vill be a part of every sesquicentennial celebration is the planting of trees the general plans tor for the tree planting project in operation cooperation co with the american tree association appear elsewhere in this report it is customary for many organizations to plant memorial trees as a tribute to their founders or to distinguished personages of history during this celebration these organized groups will join in the tree planting in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the conati 1 PACK aution each state and local community will have its annive anniversary esary date when fitting ceremonies will be planned millions of trees will be dedicated to the memory of the framers of the constitution when plans were being made for the celebration of the wash hington ington bicentennial it was intended intended to plant tr trees ees lin in honor of the event but so popular did this idea become I 1 throughout the country that in the year 1932 some trees were actually planted in the united states therefore it is proposed to follow a similar program in celebrating the sesquicentennial qui centennial of the constitution As in the case of the washington bicentennial the president of the united states will be asked to plant a tree in the grounds of the white house and one will also be set out in the capitol grounds it will be highly fitting too that the chief justice be invited to plant a tree in the grounds surrounding the new supreme court building thus inaugurating the movement it is planned to reach I 1 levery every city town and school the activities of the commission will be greatly assisted by the operation cooperation co of the american tree association this excellent organization will also operate cooperate co in preparing a booklet explaining the planting of trees and providing a program for the dedication the millions of constitution trees thus set out during the celebration will prove a beautiful lasting and appropriate tribute to the constitution of tile the united states the american tree association has already issued the booklet mentioned in the foregoing report its called the constitution sesquicentennial tree planting book and recently several million copies were sent to club and organization leaders and school teachers throughout the country at the same time charles lathrop pack president of the association issued this statement i like a great oak the constitution stands like a great oak it has weathered many storms it deserves a place aglace next to the family bible in every home what could be more fitting than for the american people to begin now to make their plans for marking the sesquicentennial september 17 1937 by planting trees we are ready to distribute to school teachers or organization leaders or anyone else this constitution sesquicentennial tree planting book in it is the constitution and all amendments with every important date as well as george letter of transmittal to the congress with this are given details on how to select plant and care for trees and a suggested program for the dedication As the statement of the united states constitution cornin comin i assion s s i 0 n points out nearly thirty five million trees were planted to mark the bicentennial of the birth ot of george washington now we have another reason for planting then we honored the father of our coun now we mark the crowning achievement of his great career the binding of the nation together under a constitution historians all agree he made the constitution possible in our planting plans we uc not only have the call of the commission to heed but we have the cooperation of thousands of organizations izat ions at this years meeting of the general federation of 0 clubs mrs H G bogert of colorado national conservation chairman started a tree planting camp campaign reaching into every club in the daughters of the american revolution mrs avery turner of texas national chairman of conservation and thrift has called upon all chapter chairmen to push the program every year class in colleges and high schools as well as private institutions is being asked to plant a tree as class activity in the citizenship committees of various organizations tree planting will be a major activity one of the tree planting books has been sent to every camp in these days when we hear so much uch about dust storms floods and soil erosion causing hundreds of millions of dollars damages ft the american people must become tree minded a and d realize the value of forests in n flood prevention the forests and a d their products support every i industry commerce is is Jim impossible poss e without these forest products prodoc so let us plant not alone to ma mark k this important date in our I 1 history maybe the most important date but also to call the attention of new thousands to the value of trees ratification day mr pack also has sent to the governors of the original states ratifying the constitution the suggestion that ratification days in each state stale be marked m TZ A alf W t A a am f alifi 4 4 I 1 LAST OF 13 HORSE CHESTNUT TREES PLANTED ANTEll PL BY washington AT KENMORE fenimore KEN iMORE career came to an end in aug gust 1923 when the whole trunk cracked and fell while workmen were pulling a dead branch from it it was estimated that the tree was then more than years old numerous grandchildren but even though this historic tree is dead it lives on in its 1 children and grandchildren which are to be found in various parts of the united states on may 1 1876 a centennial tree which had been produced from the seed of the washington elm was presented to the city of cambridge by john owen two grandchild s seedlings eed lings from the cambridge elm under which washington took command of the continental army are browin growing near his tomb at mount vernon there is one in the yard of the governors governors mansion in annapolis md one in in front of the Ale memorial morial church at valley forge and another at washington college at chester town md which was named for washington and which he once visited to receive an honorary degree another is thriving on the grounds of the D A R memorial continental hall in washington D C and still oe I 1 VA e 1 A GEORGE washington the adoption of the constitution was as the crowning achievement of his great emt career by organizing statewide state wide plans for tree planting in anticipation of the big program in 1937 among the thousands ot of trees which will be planted next year as a part of the constitution ution celebration undoubtedly there wilt will be many elms this will be especially appropriate in so far as this celebration also honors the memory of george washington since an elm tree malkea marked an important milestone in his life it was under a tree of this species in cambridge mass that hat he be took command of the continental army on july 3 1775 and started on the career which led to the establishment of a new nation and his election as its first president under the constitution for nearly a century and a half this elm was a landmark and patriotic shrine carefully guarded and with every effort made to save it from the ravages ot of time its long and honored an another oilier in the yard of the head quarters of the sons of the american revolution in the same city and clear across the country on the campus of the university of washington in seattle there is another of these grandchild seedlings brought there by an aluminous alu minus of the university besides the two cambridge elms the state of massachusetts is is rich in tree memorials to tile the father of his country just outside the town of palmer on the boston spring field highway stands another famous old dotree tree known as the mother alother washington elm it is claimed by some historians and the american forestry association that when washington was on his way to cambridge he stopped beneath this particular elm to rest many washington trees elm tr trees cs however are not the only ones which we associate with the nameon name of washington deerfield mass is a button wood tree where washington watered horses A horse chestnut tree planted by washington ton still stands in the yard of kenmore the fredericksburg va home of betty washington lewis his sister it is the last of 13 such trees which he planted there to represent the thirteen colonies and to shade the walk between the cottage of his mother mary ball washington and kenmore eight years ago a washington friendship grove of 13 horse chestnut trees was planted in in the national capital they sprang from the seeds of a tree which for more than years stood in bath pa as an emblem of friendship between washington and gen robert brown the latter was a frequent visitor to mount vernon and at the end of one such visit in 1781 washington with his own hands dug from his garden two young horse chestnut trees which he presented to his friend brown carried the young saplings across the mountains to his home where I 1 he planted them on the lawn only one of the trees however survived but it grew to a height of 70 feet and had an 85 foot spread of its branches I 1 I 1 tree of two nations on the grounds of the capitol in washington is an elm under which the first president is said to have sat while watching the progress in the building of that edifice on the grounds of the white house stands a tree which is also associated with the name of washington and which links the past and the present in an unusual manner this tree is the outgrowth of an acorn brought from russia and because of this and its unique lineage it is known as the russo american oak the tree from which the acorn was vas obtained stands in leningrad it grew from ad an acorn produced by a tree at the tomb of Washing washington tod at mt alt vernon the mt alt vernon acorn was sent to the czar of russia by senator charles sumner of massachusetts chu and planted in tile the grounds of the imperial palace by the czar as a symbol of russo american friendship in 1808 1898 the tree which had grown from senator acorn was located by ethan allen alien hitchcock then american ambassador to st petersburg gathering and planting some of the acorns from this tree the ambassador sent a sapling of the new generation to president roosevelt for planting in the white house grounds the planting took place on april 6 1004 1904 exactly thirteen years before the day oh which illich the united states joined hands with russia and other european countries in tile the greatest conflict the world has ever known a conflict which led to the destruction of the old russia and the assassination of the royal family the young tree was planted by president roosevelt himself in several parts of the country are trees famous for their association with friend marquis de lafayette one lafayette tree on the he battlefield of brandywine derives its prestige from the fact that when the celebrated french general was wounded at brandywine brandy vine his injuries were given first aid under this tree at annapolis is a tree trec under which a reception to lafayette was held with a distinguished company in attendance in the form of trees planted by his own hand general lafayette left many mementoes of his travels in america one i is now standing at concord new hampshire another is at yorktown va near a house in which ore are still to be scan cannon balls ain in the timbers during the lie F fao 2 0 nf f yorktown 21 IV V apa per nion |
