ARBOR DAY

Yes! Today is Arbor Day in New York State! And our environmental conservation friends tell us it's a good day to plant a tree.

The state's Department of Environmental Conservation says the holiday, first celebrated in 1872, was created to encourage farmers and settlers to plant trees for shade and lumber. For us today, it's a good time to help our environment by adding to the tree population.

And it's also a good time to look at some of the Bullis "tree books" to get ideas about the kind to plant as well as how to identify and care for those that may be currently growing in and around our neighborhoods.

So we invite you to stop by the Bullis Room and look through some of these "oldie but goody" books. And then, we can all get out our shovels, dig a hole, and plant a tree.

Here's a list of some of the "tree books" you can find in the Bullis Room:

Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them

Author: Harriet Louise Keeler

Publisher: C. Scribner Sons, 1900

A Guide to Trees

Author: Alice Lounsberry

Publisher: F. A. Stokes, 1900

What May Be Learned From a Tree

Author: Harland Coultas

Publisher: Appleton, 1860

Handbook of the Trees of the Northern States and Canada, 

East of the Rocky Mountains

Author: Romeyn Beck

Publisher: R.B. Hough, 1924, C1907

Familiar Trees and Their Leaves, Described and Illustrated

Author: Ferdinand Schuyler Matthews

Publisher: Appleton, 1911

Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs,  Hardy in North America

Author: Alfred Rehden

Publisher: Macmillan, 1934

Oh - one more thing - a trivia question!  What is New York's state tree?

EARTH DAY DISPLAY

A few weeks ago, we posted information about our planned Earth Day display in the case outside the Bullis Room.  That display is finished, ready for you to view. As we wrote earlier, it was a difficult task choosing only a relative few to display of the many Bullis books related to gardening and taking care of our Earth.

The ones we decided on cover topics ranging from potatoes to daylillies and manure to indoor gardening. There's even a children's gardening book. All of the books, however, have the common theme of caring for our environment.

So please stop by and take a look at the display. And if you see a book or two that you would like to spend some time with (and we think you will), you can do so in a couple of weeks when the books are back in their place on the Bullis Room shelves.

FROM THE BULLIS ARCHIVES

Last week, in looking through more items in the Bullis collection, we came across the photo below.

Do you recognize any of the men in the photo?  There's a poem written above the photo:

"Never Lose an old friend,

No Matter what the cause,

We wouldn't ever do it

If we didn't look for flaws.

The only thing worth while having

Is the friend who's stood the test

And who has such a friend as this

Knows friendship at its best."

At the bottom of the photo is a lengthy list of names and this photo information:

1880  Christmas  1925

St. Petersburg FL

10-12-1923, 5 PM

Ramona Heights

If you think you might be able to identify any of these men, and/or know how any of them are connected to the Bullis family, please contact us.  If you're not sure, we'll be glad to show you that long list of names (31, to be exact).

EARTH DAY

Earth Day is April 22nd. To honor this worldwide event that dates back to 1970, we are planning a display of some of the Bullis books and catalogs on gardening, farming, and landscaping.

Choosing which books to put in the display case is not an easy task.  There are so many volumes with interesting content and illustrations.  And although we've been cautioned not to judge a book by its cover, some of these older books have such decorative covers, it's hard not to instantly declare them "spectacular," before we've even opened them.  However, we're usually not disappointed when we do look inside and see the striking photographs and drawings.

Also, the content of these books is informative and helpful, even though it may be dated. For example, if you're thinking of planting some trees as an Earth Day observance, the Bullis collection has several books on that subject. And there is even a book on effectively using manure for fertilizing those new growths.

The Earth Day display should be ready by early next week. So please plan to stop by during April to feast your eyes on the colorful illustrations and to get some "old" tried-and-true ideas that you can use in a "new" way.