Rensselaer Union and Jasper Republican, Volume 8, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1876 — Centennial Tree Planting. [ARTICLE]

Centennial Tree Planting.

The effort being made by Mr. Northrup, the superintendent of; public instruction in Connecticut, to induce a general planting of centennial trees, reminds us that in Illinois a special effort should ,he made in the same direction. Wo make a few suggestions, which our readers may treat as they tee fit ; but we hope that President Hammond and Secretary Galusha will lend their personal and official in-fim-iice to induce the people of the State of Illinois to act iu this matter this spring. Meanwhile we give onr suggestions: 1. We suggest that each family in the State that owns a farm or lot, make it a point this spring for every member of it to plant a long lived tree upon it. Let the father, children select the tree that most sutts his or her fanoy, and plant it carefully. If the baby be too young to exercise discretion, let somebody act as next friend and put in one for hi in. If llu-re he. any other members of the tamily, let them, too, be represented in the family planting. 2. Next, take such action as the community, ill their individual or public capacity, are willing to take to plant the principal streets of your city or town, or the principal roads of your townships with long lived hardy trees. The town meeting has power to do this by taxing the citizens of the towiiship—-if that be preferable; but it is too late to do that this year. It is lawfnl to plant tr*:es in the highway, onetetth of the width of the highway from the margin. Take the principal streets and roads and organize to plant them uniformly with good varieties. 3. Now what should we plant? First that suggests itself is the American or white elm, a tree which for ornamental purposes, on all soils, is hardly excelled. The sugar maple, the white ash, the white oak and hurr oak, also suggest themselves tor permanent trees for country planting, though less desirable for city purposes. But wherever planted, we suggest for a centennial tree, one that is long lived, large and handsome, that the children of the next centennial may see and admire.—Prairie Farmer.