Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 April 1911 — ROYAL TREE PLANTER. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ROYAL TREE PLANTER.

King Alfonso Adopts American Institution of Arbor Day. Only one foreign country has copied the American holiday known as Arbor day. The nation that has paid the compliment of imitation is Spain, but in the land of the dons the festival is known as Fiesta del Arbol (the fete of the tree). The Spanish holiday was

inaugurated in 1896 and is celebrated earlier than in this country—namely, on March 26. On the first tree day in Spain the young King Alfonso, with the queen regent and the ladies of the coiffC proceeded to ground situated near the viV lage of Hortazela. some two miles dis tant from Madrid. Here the king planted a pine sapling, and 2,000 children selected from the schools of Madrid immediately followed his example. Then gold medals comment -ative of the event and duly inscribed with the date were distributed among the youthful tree planters.

KING ALFONSO, ROYAL TREE PLANTER.