1060 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



is ready to assume this added financial burden in good 

 faith that in the end it will be a paying investment ; or, 

 (2) one or two or more public-spirited persons must 

 underwrite a three or five years' cost of trying out this 

 experiment. That in the end the permanent establish- 

 ment of a township highway cultivation plan will l)e an 

 asset that will pay for itself over and over again is the 

 belief of the writer. Indeed, an efficient handling of the 



*^. 



THE SYMMETRICAL NORWAY SPRUCE 



This ornamental species is particularly appropriate for park arui road 



planting. 



proposition will go largely toward paying regularly for 

 the annual local layout on its roads. 



In case there is an eflicient County Improvement 

 Society or a County Farm Bureau in operation, any town- 

 ship development along this line of roadside cultivation 

 would naturally link itself up with the larger body. The 

 man on the job locally would be working in harmon\- with 

 a county-wide scheme of improvement. Indeed, it is pos- 

 sible in some instances that at first a county specialist 

 would be put in charge of this work and, later, have 

 township assistants taken on as the work would develo]). 

 But from the standpoint of the writer it would be better 

 to have the man on the job a regular township official, 

 working in harmony with any county scheme at hand. 



This man on the job must be well prepared for his 

 task. He should know his soil, his trees (botany in 

 general), his entomology and his landscape gardening. 

 He must be a timber, nut and fruit specialist, who can 

 give satisfactory advice to the farmers. He should pre- 

 ferably be a good teacher of his specialty in all the schools 

 of the township, utilizing thus some of the winter months. 

 He might be the general director of school gardens also. 

 A part of his salary might well find its place in the 

 educational budget. Each year he might bring to the 

 town distinguished specialists along several lines and 

 hold, for a week, a convocation for general educational 



purposes. The school children would be present, take 

 notes as a part of their regular school work, write 

 essays, pass examinations on the addresses given, inspired 

 by liberal prizes for excellence. 



Under the supervision of the Highway Agricultural 

 Superintendent, and in connection with the Superintend- 

 ent of Roads, a careful study of the whole system of 

 roads in the town would be made, keeping in mind the 

 relations of the same to County and State roads. Some 

 rarely used highways might wisely be closed, some new 

 ones suggested and others straightened or otherwise im- 

 proved, so that the generations to come would find that 

 the science and art of our times were faithfully applied. 

 It may be that a broad-minded scheme might be adopted 

 by the township for a generous widening of the roadside 

 areas, especially where ancient plans seem to be too 

 cramped. Cordial co-operation on the part of the land- 

 owners would help immensely to accomplish the end 

 sought. 



But long before all this could be accomplished, and 

 even if none of it could be undertaken at once, the High- 



WALNUTS FOR SHADE 

 These comfort-giviris trees are planted along a roadside in Michigan. 



way Superintendent could get at work. Undesirable trees 

 and shrubs along all the township highways should be 

 cut down and sold for lumber or firewood, or be burned, 

 especially where destructive insects are ;it work. All 

 good trees should be properly trimmed and doctored, so 

 as to give good chance for growth. Three kinds of 



