STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 75 



interest in the matter. What more, then, can be done? Clearly but 

 one thing : ourselves to put our principles in practice. The force of 

 example is far greater than that of precept. It is true that some who 

 have spoken and written upon this subject are not in a situation which 

 enables them to put their ideas in operation. Yet there are others 

 owning lands on the prairies, where the advantages of planting groves 

 and screens may be best demonstrated, who might plant a few acres. 

 Seeing is believing : men who have never read — perhaps never even 

 thought upon the matter, and whom no amount of preaching would 

 move, when they perceive the facility with which groves of timber may 

 be raised, and their manifold advantages in shelter and utility, will go 

 and do likewise. Progress in this way will indeed be slow ; but with 

 this we must probably content ourselves until the attention of land 

 owners shall be compelled by necessity. Mere talk avails little ; what is 

 needed is action. 



DISCUSSION ON THE REPORT. 



Dr. Warder — I must say I feel somewhat disappointed with my 

 venerable friend's style of presenting this matter of tree planting on the 

 prairies ; he has so little to tell us in the way of encouragenent ; and yet 

 I know what he says is true. The hindrances and discouragements are 

 many, and it will perhaps be many years before the Forestry Association 

 can make any great impression upon the country and influence the 

 farmers of these prairies to plant timber instead of corn ; in fact, we are, 

 as it strikes the farmer of these prairies, asking too much of them, and 

 this is the reason we have not been more successful. Our farmers are, 

 most of them, in moderate circumstances, and we can not persuade them 

 to take land that will produce fifty or sixty bushels of corn to the acre 

 and plant it to timber, and wait thirty or more years for a return. They 

 can not afford to do it. 



But they can do this : they can appropriate to this purpose land 

 that is not fitted to corn growing. There is scarcely a farm of a hundred 

 acres that has not upon it patches that are not fitted to grow grain, and 

 that are adapted to timber growing. We advise the appropriation of 

 such land to this purpose, and there would be profit in it iiside from the 

 mere value of the timber. 



The Forestry Association, which I have the honor to represent, 

 propose to investigate the following points, and to obtain information 

 upon them : 



1. Estimates of the area of forests in square miles of acres, and the 

 age of trees. 



2. Estimates of their productiveness per acre in cubic feet of lumber 

 and cords of fuel. 



