ARBOR DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 565, 21 July 1909, Page 7

ARBOR DAY.

i TO-DATS TREE-PLAOTraG. THE ARRANCEMENTS OUTLINED. : A GLANCE INTO THE TOTDBJB. ■ Despite dismal skies, ' it appear* that to-day-may- Beo a revival of interest in Arbor Day. Extensive arrangements have boon ma do by the Reserves Committeo of tho City Council, and it only remains for citizone to co-opcrato to ensuro a successful planting. The placcs to bo planted will bo: ■ ! (1) The strip of land at tho base of MountVictoria behind Shannon Street. . • (2) Tho eastern slop© of Kclburno Parle, behind Onslow Terrace. (3) The slope between tho north end of Tinakori Road and Thorndon Quay. ; - :. • (4) Sugar Loaf Hill - and tho TriaoEl® ■» Brooklyn. - -. ■ ■: . ' (5Y Duppa Street Reserve, Island Bay. (6) Maranui School grounds. , ■ - His. Worship tho Mayor and Mr. Glen, the corporation's superintendent of reserves, will bo in attendance at Mount Victoria, Councillor J. P. Luke, M.P., and Councillor Shirt- , cliffo ar© to have charge of the Duppa Street operations, and tho other reserves will bo under the direction of tho following:-— Brooklyn, Councillor Frost, tho Rev. Dowdney, and Mr. R. A. : Wright, MJP.; KeltarM . Park,, Councillors Cohen and Smith; Tinakon Road, Councillor Fletcher; Maranui School , grounds, Councillor Morran. Scholars attending tho various schools havo been invited to assist as undor:—Brooklj-n and.To Aro Schools, at Brooklyn; Clsde, Quay School, at Mount Victoria; Thorndon School, at Tinakori Road; Terrace 'School,. at Kelburno; -Island Bay ■ School, at Duppa . Street ; and Maranui School, at ,tho local , school grounds.' : With the exoeption of Brooklyn,, whew the operations are to, begin at 11 a.m.,' and again at 2 p.m., proceedings, wiU oommciioe . at 11 a.ta. •:_ ' ~ ' The City, Council offices win close at mid--day, and the Mayor invites citizcns to,do i. all m thedr poorer to further tho object £oi which the holiday has boon established. . THE TREES. FINE SELECTION OF DECIDUOUS . SPECIES. ' Much of tie pleasure of tree-planting oon*, aists in anticipation in seoing tbo . trees not , merely as they are, but also (with the mind's eye) as they will bo. Hence the following , notes:— :J y , The plantation which tho Mayor person-, ally will inaugurate to-day at Shannon Street -. on the slopes of Mount Victoiia should become ere many years ono of tho jjleasantest and most beautiful spots ill the citjj. Evory 'year the trcea to he . set thero; will clothe themselves in fresh'green i leaves! , and, deck themselves, with abundant white blossoms. Of oourse, this should bo, sa)d, with an " it,' but it be a very big " if, 1 for the robinia pseudo-acacia, of- which: toe plaata- . tioa'will he'chiefly a hardy, tree, dnd authorities state that it will grow on "any dry barren soil, ' heavy, light, 'or . sandy. 1 ' Tho Mayor, in this instance at any rate, will not he planting only for posterity, , as the robinia is' of quick growth. "In ordin- i arily v favourable circumstances,;it attains ft::, height of 60 to; 90 feet, and the; Mayor may,, reasonably hopo to see his protegees 1 getting , well up towards' such a satisfactory; staturo. ; Thirty Acres of Flowering Trees.

■.!''.'False". acacia seems ah ungracious name for, so beautiful a tree, but in the Pemisylvania, Mountains,: : whore it has ita original ; ,v homo, it is callcd black, locust. Nevertholess, there',is nothing-! black about it, though the souhg twigs (which bear a few thorns) _. are. of a dark brown, and tho wood shades from a rich 'yellow; into dnlk>r lines. Tho - timber is hard and. durable} aad no doubt in time to como tho city will havo an asset in the spare limba • and trunks. B» 10,000 voung trocs presentod to .by Mr. . , Horton are .entirelyj of thli species. .The ; Superintendent of Iwsgtvos (Mi*. G. 4 F. Glen) states that they' have made Tory rapid growth in the favourable conditions at Hastings, and will therefore require to bo cut back, a good deal, i Probably Mr. P?o Bono Publico, when bo disoovors that this has, been done, will write to thoi papers and call it "vandalism. It is intended to plant; eventually, about ~ i thirty acres'of 'theso trees in the same vioFavourite English TreoS.' .■Another beautiful doddnoiu tree wifl bo, plimtsd with • tho acacias_ behind , Shimnori Street, namely, the. English boocli (fagus sylvatica). This also is a hardy tree.. Some "of- tho natural beech forests in England are situated on just such' Soiled places as Mount Victoria. When tho leaf-buds Unroll in spring, their bright green is- one of the loveliest dolours m nature. Their smooth, grey trunks, have always been tho favourite places for young Orlandos to carve : tho names of their Rosalinds. Tho timber is more,, seriously valued for chaw* and tool-handles. Mr. Glon has about 200 yoiing beeohes to be planted out, aro being 6ont to various parts of tho cpy. Tho'English ash (fraxinus. excelsior) rivals the beech in usefulness, and robust constitution, 1 and,' though . not. bo ; graceful, is a handsome tree; It: grows quickly. Spwimenß havo been sent to several places for to-day's plautiug. . : \ ' Ono of the Best. "Tho Oriental Plane," wroto the lato Mr. H.: J. • Matthews, Cbiof Forester, -in hia i "Treo-planting ni New. Zealand," Vis ~unquestionably tho best of all tho planes, both for shade .and for handsome foliage. It forms a round and rather dense-headed tree," Beldora exceeding 60ft. in height, with a compariV" tively short, but massive, stem, which soon divides into several robust airms, spreading , , horizontally to a considerable, distance. Mr, Matthews further describes it as. of quick' growth; ornamental; splendid avonuo or street tree." Thus recommended,-plata-nus orientalia should be welcomo to ■; the Empire Citv.- All tho planes havo largo ana handsome, leaves. ' v ; ... ■ Tho silver birch (betula alba) is already well known in New Zealand, and is not alto- ; gother a stranger to the city reserves, whoro s its red-gold autumn dress, makes a . pleasing , splash of. warm colour.. "Content with.-tho poorest soil in any . situation,' 1 ;Bays Mr. , Matthews. . r

Tito Evergreens. . Tho above are the piincjpl deciduous trco# .to jbe planted to-day., Evergreens .willvbo' represented by several selected species. . The robust' Austria- pino (piniis Austnaca): .18 expected to flourish as 1 well hero as on tho mountains of its nativo Tyrol. The ■ seaside suits it. but it, will grow anywhere. _ Its foliage ia dense,, heavy, and dark. _ Wiere will also bo tho elaoagnus japomcus, which Dr. Truby King found a good pioneeT for windy seaside plaeos in Otago, and tho esealonia, which also win his good opinion. : Two native evergreens call for .mention. First thetotara, .which, after tho kauri, is New Zealand's . most valuable .indigenous tree. Unlike most of its companions of tho bush, it transplants well, and makes rapid growth up to a certain age. In 28 years' ; timo it should be' ,48ft. higli, bnt it will_gq. on maturing; if spared by "time and thoaxo,, foi '800 years.. The Lands Department lias pre< soil tod Wellington City with a large number of young totnros raised in tho Stato Nursery, near Whangaroi. Another well-known native tree to bo planted in Wellington is the broad, leaf (grisclinia littoralis). Though/ most familiar as a shrub, it will grow, to a con*: sidorablo height. It is one of tho most orna. mental 'of bur indigenous gro\rths, and though not particular about its location, it iis rather partial (as the second wbrd of its Latin indicates) to tho sea coast. "• .■■■ ' . r. Mr. ; Glen, superintendent of reserves, will assist the Mayor at tho Shannon Street; wound to-day, arid'members of his staff will be in attendance'at tho other sites to insuro, correct planting. THE CANTERBURY SCHOOLS. (By Tolceraph.—Prcefc Association.) - " Chrlstchurch, July 20. Sixty'' schools in North Canterbury propose to colebrato 'Arbor Day, by tree-planting, mostly in their, own grounds.