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PBESERFIXG TREES.
Successful Work Done with Noble
J-Jhiis in Connecticut Valley.
Eh:. ■ .• trp"> fine streets of several old towns
la the ■••.:• Valley are stately trees, some
of tieni more than two centuries old, which owe
their present existence to the interest and skill
of a nan who has reduced the art of tree preser
vation to a science. That man is Christopher
Clarke., city forester of Northampton, and some
of tiit) trees whose life- has been thus prolonged
bear close association with men and events that
played a prominent part in the early history of
Uie cation. Among them are the Jonathan Kd
wards elm. In Northampton, the Indian house
fr-e, in Old L>... rfleML and the General William
Shepard elm. in Wtstfleld.
Although still one of the most active men in
the Connecticut Valley, Mr Clarke is now an
octogenarian, his eightieth birthday anniversary
bavins; been celebrated at a banquet given by
citizens of Northampton a few months ago. Mr.
Clarke unites a love of nature with a fondness
for antiquities. For more than half a century
he has had the care of the shade trees in the
streets of Northampton, and he has great regard
for a noble tree, so that the preservation of
historic trees i. for him a work of love.
In a historic town like Northampton it Is a
source of much satisfaction to the residents to
be able to point out a tree which was planted
by the eminent theologian, Jonathan Edwards,
although the body of tlio former Northampton
pastor and the use which he lived In in course
of his Ministry in the town have long since been
reduced to dust. Modern conditions of urban
life make the growing of healthy trees in streets
a more difficult undertaking every year, and It
Is therefore deemed worth while to spend time
and money In adding to the years of one of those
stately, graceful trees planted by the ancestors
of those who now pass under their protecting
shade.
Visitors who admire some large and healthy
looking trees are surprised when informed that
their trunks contain tons of cement where there
was formerly healthy wood. Not infrequently
decay starts in a tree and eats through a large
portion of the inside of the trunk and into some
of the larger limbs. Unless heroic measures are
adopted the tree will then wither and die. Some
times a large limb is torn from a tree in a storm,
leaving the inner wood exposed, and decay fol
lows.
When a tree doctor treats a decayed tree he
begins by cutting an aperture In the tree large
er-o^gh to allow him to get at the inside and re
move all the decayed wood. This is essentiaJ to
the success of the operation. When this work
has sen done the cavity is ready to be filled.
The composition used In rase of large fillings
contains five parts of sand to one part of Port
land cement, except for the outer part, where
these ingredients are used half and half, this
outer coating being several inches thick. To
hold the cement in place while it is hardening
a stout tin or zinc is employed, this '. ■ Ing se
cured to the trunk or limb in a way to preserve
tie r.a:uraJ shape. The tin Is put on in strips.
GENERAL WILLIAM SHEPARD ELM, WESTTIEin, MASS.
Also preserved by th© liberal use of cement.
YEW-YORK DAILY TRTBUNE. SUNDAY. JUNE 30, 1907.
being fastened with round steel nails having, •
broad head and a small shank. The strips ai _
wide enough to lap over upon the sound wood
and the nails are placed from half an inch to an
inch apart, according to the strain imposed.
The first strip of tin is put on at the lower
part of the aperture, and the r.-m^nt put in until
it reaches nearly to the top of the tin. Then
a second strip Is put on. lapping over the other
two or three inches, and the two nailed to
gether. Then more cement is used, and so on
until th<^ cavity ia filled, the last strip of tin be
ing bent down while the final application of
cement i.s bcinp puddled into place and the cav
ity entirely filled, and then it is straightened up
and nailed in place. In case .if extra large cav
ities lar^ sheets of tin or sheet iron are nailed
on the outside to prevent the tin from bulging
out, until the cement has hardened, when they
can be removed. The smaller the cavity the
larger are the strips of tin employed, as the
strain is proportionately less. In twenty-four
hours' time the cement will have hardened com
pletely and the tin may all be removed.
This remedy is applied successfully to fruit
trees as well as shade trees. Mr. Clarke haa
CHRISTOPHER CLARKE.
Northampton's city forester and a noted tres
doctor.
THE JONATHAN EDWARDS E
Planted by the famous preacher. It contains tl
to pr«!
tn his own flooryard an apple tree seventy-five
yrars old, to which a larve qtiantity of cement
has been applied. This was dune at a oi»st of
about $1 . r >«), and the tree is now bearing four dif
ferent varieties of apples.
Th.> largest fillings Mr. Clarke ever put In a
troe were in the Jonathan Edwards elm. In
Northampton, in which three tons <>f sar ■'. ti
cement wore used. This trio was plant) I
than one hundred and sev.-nty-i. . • i 1
Mr. Edwards tn the early part of hin ministry in
Northampton. The trur-.k is now abo
five feet in circumference, and f ••• rly the tree
had Immi nse spn ■
the hands»on ■ • • ■ ■ ■ ■ .• Much w >r\
was Involved In treating this ?n-.\ and tl ■ c*
pense amounted to about $12S The tn pi
served chiefly f r its historic interest, its beaut j
having; been sadly In i aired
The fact that Jonathan Edwards formerly
dwelt In the shadow of this tree Is not the i nly
Interest association connected with it. On
the site of the old Kdwards homo stands a house
in which was roared a family <>f celebrated
scholars. This '.%:••< the Whitney family, com
prising Professor Josiah Dwight Whitney, geol
ogist, metallurgist and member of tho Harvard
faculty: Professor William Dwight Whitn ■ y. of
Yale. t!:> ■ Sanscrit .scholar and i- ■.•••■ phil
ologist; James layman Whitney, formerly !i!>r.i
rlan of the Boston Public Library: ll«nr>'
Mitchell Whitney, formerly a professor In lic
loit College and now librarian rf the Black
stone Memorial Library, In It ran i Conn., rin.l
others. The Whitney house has 1 n bought for
Betty Allen Chapter, Daughters of the American
Revolution, of Northampton, and also will be
the home of the Northampton Historical Society.
On c of the most interesting "f all trees ii !!>•■
Connecticut Valley is the Indian house tree., lr.
Deerfleld, believed to be nearly two hundred and
fifty years old. The house which f«:rmi-r!y stood
by this tree was the one attacked hy the Indian?
on February 29, 170 I. v. h< n many white enntivt-H
were carried away to Canada and others slam.
The door of the old house. scarred by lorna
hawks an«i huii.-ts. is still preserved in the Mi
mortal Hali In Doerlield. The tree Is nearly one
hundred fee? in height It ha i been preserved
and strengthened by the use of 3.600 pounds <»f
cement and heavy iron rod! to s!.iy the limbs.
Another fine tree that has been preserved by
this menns is the General William Shepnrd elm
in Westfleld, a memorial of a brave Kevolution
nry officer and the man who commanded the
troops which put down Shaj rebellion. The
man whom the town of West Held is now plan
ning to honor by a monument In the public
square, and ho looked out of his front parlor
windows at this tree, was one of the most pict
uresque figures !n the history of Western Mas;
sachusetts. He was a native of West field and
died In that town in isi"i ;tt the age of eighty.
He served in the l«Y«nch and Indian War under
Lord Amhi ret and joined the Continental forces
In Cambridge in the spring of 177".. He fought
in twenty-two distinct battles of the rtevolutiori
and became a brigadier general un ler Genera!
Lafayette. Aa the head ■>l tl tunty militii
he put down the irunimtciion led t>\ L)ani«*l
Shays in IT^il. the c-lima .if wl lon came In tin
attack upon the arsenal in Springfield ajui th.-
-M IN NORTHAMPTON, MASS.
pee tons of sand and cement, placed in its truti
erve it.
repulse of Shaya's men by General Shepard.
As a Presidential Elector General Shepard voted
twice for George Washington, and he also served
in Congress.
Still another historic tre< and perhaps the
most beautiful In the list, i- the Washington elnj
In Suffleld. which is to be preserved in the sam«
way as the others. Tin, tr-e is at , ne lov.-e,
end of the comm-.n in Su!h>M and former!]
fronted thi .Id Porch House, where it is said
that Washington sometimes stopped. It v.ai
one .if a pair of noble trees « nIT- «I "the sentinel
elms." one of which was blown down In a winter
storm nearly forty years ago! The.-.- trees were
Planted, it Is said, by Itenjai Uuggles, th,
first minister or ifni Id. in !>:,:, When th.»
Revolutionary War broke out a company o|
mon paraded under the elms preparatory to
............. While .topping at a
Puflleld tavern Washington, it la related, madj
asp'ech ,1r,:,.r, 1r , : ,. r It ,s.. ,r,..5. urging men to go to
the from in defence of their country. A largo
branch was recently broken from the survivor of!
this ; air of elm.-, leaving the tree in need of re
pair, and It is probable that its treatment will
be undertaken by Mr. Clarke, and this fin.' ol<l
tree will ! c preserved f.-r an indefinite period.
SHAM PISTOL DUELS.
A curious feature of the great tournament «1\
arms which took plate tin- ot!:.-r day at tht]
Tuilleries in Paris wna the pistol duelling. For-,
inerly .< sham duel could be fought only with the
sword, in which case it differed I : • t !•- in appear
ance from the real contest. With firearms if
seemed impossible to arrive at any exact i-imuJ
Union, and all that c »uld be done was t.. piar*
the combatants opposite silhouettes ......
th<- enemy. ITnder thes mditions the com-»
batant <lii! not s.i> the pistol aimed at him ami
could not !,- stHicl: by th- hostllo bullet. Xo W
the bull, ts have be. n render., l harmless, like th«>
..... . -
This is accomplished by means of a fake car-,
tridge, the invention .•:" Dr. Dtvillers. It i;»
surmounted l.y a u.i\ bullei aad fei-bly charyeii
v> ill; an explosive compo.s:ti,i:i. tho force >•;' thi:»
charge and the weight ••! the bull, t bein^ s.»
regulated that the i. 11 11 1 • r cannot pass beyond .1
< ir<-i.. twenty ccntinietres ia diameter. The but*
let is a soft mixture i.f wax. tallow a nil sul
phate i«: baryta and weighs three-quarters of »
■■■■■■,•■■' •
gram. At twenty metres its shock is in.sik'ilii!*
.ant. but dearly perceptible. It is entirely
harmless unless it Mrik<s the fare or the n.iked
hand, and the combatant having taken care to
protect his face and hand can enter the pistol
duel with perfect safety. Yet the combat looks
as real as that of the sword.
ALLHAIRON FACE AND ARMS
pfrnnpiTf'v »*■•*-("*.■<!. V *r*»
Jullan'a Specific has »»ood
lhe t^st as y.-urs. no elec
tricity, poison. |.:im: |,r.»
tected l>y law Cure cuar-
K•!.-.!K •!.-.! bj Accept n» counler
:■ . ,i •>.•.•.•[)[ no
fi-it Trt ' treatment at
office. HUB. .11 I IAN. I.'J
iili Ayr. C-Oili St.). uext
duor LurU A Tai'lor'a.
•
