NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS 



583 



Two very noteworthy addresses of this 

 session dealt with the subject of coun- 

 try life and the farm. One was by Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture Wilson, who re- 

 viewed some of the achievements of the 

 Department of Agriculture, concluding 

 tliat "if our country is to grow and de- 

 velop as patriotic people hope, we must 

 conserve the fertility of our soils, and 

 the moisture that is precipitated not 

 only on our farms but that which falls 

 iipon the highlands and now flows to 

 the seas in all sections of our country." 

 Prof. L. H. Bailey, Dean of the 

 School of Agriculture of Cornell Uni- 

 versity, spoke on conservation and 

 country life. He spoke of them as two 

 great economic and social movements, 

 not new except in name, and as the 

 subjects of organized movements. As 

 a matter of fact he said that a perma- 

 nent agriculture is yet unknown in the 

 world. "The conservation and country 

 life movements will pass through pro- 

 pagandic, economic and political phases ; 

 but they will eventuate into a new 



Hon, lames Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture 



rection of the processes of social de- 



alignment of human forces and a redi- velopment. 



THE CLOSING WORK ON THURSDAY 



The failure of some of the speakers 

 to report for duty made it possible to 

 bring the congress to a close with an 

 evening session on Thursday. To those 

 of us to wdiom forestry is the core of 

 conservation, the great interest of the 

 day centered about the address in the 

 morning by Henry S. Graves, forester 

 of the United States. This address will 

 be found in part in the following pages. 

 That it was pointed and businesslike 

 need not be said. Mr. Graves has been 

 swinging around the circle much since 

 he became head of the National Forest 

 Service and he has made a deep and 

 favorable impression as an efficient 

 public official. 



At the close of ^Ir. Graves' address 

 he was taken with a large party of lum- 

 bermen and foresters to the Town and 

 Country Club, where a luncheon was 

 3 



given by Frederick Weyerhaeuser. The 

 tables were attractively laid and the oc- 

 casion was thoroughly enjoyed from a 

 social standpoint. There were but two 

 speeches. Gifford Pinchot was present 

 for a few minutes and spoke briefly, 

 acknowledging the co-operation which 

 he had received from the lumbermen 

 and eulogizing his successor in office. 

 Mr. Graves spoke on forestry, its pur- 

 pose and methods and its relation to the 

 business of the lumbermen, holding 

 the close attention and winning the ap- 

 proval of all those present. 



At the morning session of the cong- 

 ress, besides Mr. Graves, John Barrett, 

 director-general of the Bureau of 

 American Republics, spoke on Pan- 

 American conservation, considering it 

 from the point of view of an opportu- 

 nity and responsibility and making a 



