50 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



less than third in any one branch of forestry work carried on in the 

 United States, and onl}- in one or two instances ontclassed by the 

 Empire State of New York and the Keystone State of Pennsylvania. 



The last legislature transferred the duties of the State Game, Fish 

 and Forestry Warden's department to the Public Domain Commisison, 

 thus giving the Commission control of the forest protection in the 

 State of Michigan. This last act of the legislature has placed under 

 tlie one governing body all things pertaining to conservation. 



The work along forestry lines is just getting under j\'ay in this State. 

 P'rom now on the Avork should be comi)ara lively easy. Women's Clubs, 

 Teachers' Associations and commercial bodies are all taking an active 

 interest in the work. There is a different feeling than existed in the 

 days when the members of your Society started the pioneer work in 

 this movement. In the early days you sowed and sowed well, but a 

 great many of the seeds fell upon rocks and those seeds which did not 

 fall upon rocks fell upon soil that was cold and sour. Now is the 

 tin)e for your Society to sow and sow often. The forestry field has 

 been tilled by the Michigan Forestry and the Public Domain Commis- 

 sions, and the soil lias been enriched by public opinion and warmed by 

 the love for the planting of trees. Sow now and sow often and rich will 

 the harvest be. 



When the good roads fast being built in Michigan are lined Avith the 

 maple, the elm and the sturdy oak; when Ihe woodlots of the farmer are 

 increased and protected; when the thousands and thousands of acres 

 available for forestry })urposes in Michigan again have a growth of 

 pine and hardwood; when all these forest reserves are teeming with 

 song birds, elk, wild deer and partridge; when the streams that have 

 dried through the absence of forests agaiu spring into life, T have a 

 vision of our children as they stand and look over this splendid State, 

 with her lake-washed shores and her beautiful forests, saying: "Our 

 forefathers made no mistake when they wrote on the seal of this great 

 commonwealth: "If thou seekst a beautiful peninsula look around 

 thee." 



DISCUSSION. 



Following Mr. Carton's Paper. 



A Question : What can be done to encourage the second growth of 

 hardwood plats? 



Answer: Our policy is first and foremost to protect it from fire. 

 I think that a proper system of fire protection, so far as the hardwood 

 plats are concerned, is about all that is needed, as they will take care 

 of themselves. We have on our different preserves, since we have es- 

 tablished the system whereby- we can protect from fire, observed that 

 there is a natural growth coming up in a great many ])laces but we 

 are making some plantings Avhere the fire has simply burned over tlie 

 ground and destroyed the seed, or where the spot is so far removed from 

 the trees that no seed can reach that particular spot. I might say that 

 here in Michigan, on these great broad tracts, thel cme thing most essen- 

 tial is fire protection. If you can have this, there willi be a great growtlh 



