Show TELEPHONE EARLY SETTLERS PLANTINGS THE TREE OF HEAVEN IN ZION ra riger harold russel this particular species Al Allan lanthus thua Is found for somo some distance i along tho the roadside rot at the southern sut bern ont ranco to tho the park its follie tolk ge is beautiful and tho the tree ta is rather graceful i I 1 tile tho sc clings are very brittle but when a treo tree reaches maturity of 0 fittron to twenty years ears tho the tru aks velch are tree free of oc knots from eight to ton ten feet above the ground magli bi considered I 1 one ot of the hard woods from best information obtainable the tree was introduced into this region by an early pioneer who near the pouf fiouris am entrance in th tha town ot Sp ringdale he probably knew its worth as s a hard wood belore intro I 1 it here tor for it was wad by him lu in the manufacture of chairs wagon tongues plow beams and shovel handles and verious ve rious other needed implements clements ts the word Al lanthus Is said to mean tree of heaven the tree la Is ii a native of china its seed was sent to england engla nd from china in 1761 1751 by jesuit missionaries who collared belleve hol lared d it cobal id be acclimated a and nd tile the leaves used for the food of a certain silk worm the experiment failed but the trees proved to bo be so stately and ornamental that they were much valued for their own sake thoy they were planted extensively in parks parka and plea pleasure suro grounds subsequently they were li cre introduced into the united and planted near philadelphia PhIll delphia at first the trees were very popular but their popularity I 1 soon waned waited because of the disagreeable disa greable odor of the blossoms therefore the tree was waa gonenc lly ily cut down lately however tile tho tree lins has been slowly 1 coming back into favor and j plants can now be readily when once tile the root system Is firmly embedded it can withstand long periods of drought the family includes some gome eight or nine species ap ecles three of which grow in the united states lit in some localities it grows wild N ild and hm no known enemies the tree la Is able to endure smoke shohe und and dust better than most trees and because of this endurance it will thrive in manufacturing towns few other plants exist |