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ARBOR DAY <br /> <br />ARBOR DAY is a day set apart for planting trees. It is observed <br />especially by schoolchildren. Most states in the United States <br />and most of the provinces of Canada celebrate Arbor Day. Arbor <br />Day is a legal holiday in some states and provinces. <br /> <br /> From ancient times, people in various lands have planted <br /> <br />trees in religious ceremonies. Some planted trees whenever <br />children were born. In the United States in the middle 1800's, <br />Birdsey G. Northrop (1817-1898), a New England educator, urged <br />people to plant trees to beautify the countryside. Many civic <br />organizations set out trees around churches, schools, and hospitals, <br />on college campuses, and along highways. <br /> <br /> Arbor Day began in Nebraska. Julius Sterling Morton, a <br />newspaper publisher, realized that trees would enrich the soil <br />and conserve moisture in it. Through his efforts, April 10, 1982, <br />was set aside as Nebraska's first Arbor Day. The state government <br />offered prizes to the groups and individuals who planted the most <br />trees. On that first day, the people of Nebraska planted over a <br />million trees. <br /> <br /> After Morton died, the Nebraska legislature changed the date <br />of Arbor Day to his birthday, April 22, and made it a legal holiday. <br /> <br /> other states recognized the value of tree planting and began <br />celebrating Arbor Day. In 1883, the American Forestry congress <br />passed a resolution promoting it. The National Education Association <br />adopted a similar resolution the next year. <br /> <br /> Elizabeth Ho6gh Sechrist <br /> <br /> <br />