Sakura trees at Botanical Garden

Sakura trees at Botanical Garden

I saw the photo of the famous "Sakura tree" at the Botanical
Garden, Bogor, posted in your newspaper and had to wince! Sakura
means "Japan" and Japan means cleanliness, especially for plants,
which are taken care of.

A Sakura tree is pruned by hand each year and kept free of
leeches and other parasites, because it is sprayed against pests
and when in bloom is a feast for the eyes, like a pink cloud of
beauty.

This picture shows a very sorry tree of a particular species,
full of leeches and growing in all directions, with a wisp of
pink flowers visible to one side. A botanical garden should be
the pride of a city and the plants should be cared for, to be
enjoyed by visitors.

Are there no specialists at the Botanical Garden, to show the
workers there how to take care -- that means love -- growing
things? The same attitude prevails everywhere: Having or getting
something new and then using it carelessly until it becomes an
eyesore and is cast aside. A proper sense of long-term
maintenance should be instilled in all people, from childhood
onward, because that saves a lot of money.

I remember some years ago Jakarta had special garbage vehicles
that worked with hydraulic pressure to compress the waste and
thus where able to take on a lot of garbage. Where are they now?
For sure, they were not maintained or serviced regularly and when
the mechanism failed, were just put aside to rot. New buses have
been bought, but hundreds of broken old buses are rotting
somewhere. Why were they not kept in shape and maintained, as is
done in other countries? They could have been modified for their
new purpose and thus save a lot of money.

MRS. SUHARTO
Jakarta