4() Aiiierkan Horticultural Society. 



But, Mr. Pri'sidt'Mt, that happy day ha.s hjuii; siiicc vani.shetl fVoiii 

 the great eastern pUiin of this continent, and timber now has other 

 and iii^iier values than to be consumed for its ashes, chief of whicii 

 is the modifying effect upon climate of large bodies of forest lands. 

 I have scarcely passed the meridian of life, and yet I can distinctly 

 remember when all the hardier fruits of the orchard succeeded ad- 

 mirably in the central basin of the Ohio valley, where to-day we 

 are strangers to such luxuries, and this is, in ray judgment, largely 

 due to climatic changes incident to civilized man's interference with 

 the equilibrium of natural forces resulting from an equitable distribu- 

 tion of forests. But, like children, we must learn by expeiience, 

 and I presume our Oregon friends are now being schooled l)y that 

 same inexorable master. 



Mr. Kinney, of California — Forestry is a subject of vast impor- 

 tance to California The mountain woods of Southern California 

 are closely related to water supj)ly, and an abundant water supply 

 is the life of our land. Destrov our mountain forests, and the water 

 is changed from a beneficial to a destructive agent, as is proved by 

 the history of Southern Europe. In the valley of Durance, in 

 France, more than 130,000 acres of once fertile lands are now deso- 

 lated by rocks and other debris washed down from the denuded 

 mountain-sides. This matter is of such vast, importance that I 

 move that a committee be appointed to draft a memorial to congress 

 on this subject. 



Th(! motion was adopted, and the committee made to consist of 

 Mr. Kinney of California, Dr. Ridpath of Indiana, Mr. Paulsen of 

 Oregon, Mr. Smith of Wisconsin, Mr. Munson of Texas, and ^[r. 

 Hubbard of New York. 



Mr. Pdulmn, of Oregon — T am oppos(>d to sending any siicii 

 memorial to congress, since no universal law woidd do justice eve- 

 rywhere. With us in Oregon it is necessary to destroy trees by the 

 cheapest and speediest method possible. Our climate is remarkably 

 favorable to the growth of trees, and if a forest be destroyed and 

 the land be let alone in less than sixteen years the trees will all be 

 grown again. We have to tight against the woods, and in our sec- 

 tion of Oregon we will never need any tree planting. I sj>eak of 

 Western Oregon, for in the eastern part there are extensive prai- 



