SOCIETY OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. 261 



Resolved, That we commend the interest taken in our proceedings by 

 the large attendance at our meetings by the citizens of Elmwood. 



Resolved, That the introduction of music in our deliberations has 

 proved Iiighly gratifying, and that we tender to the Elmwood (llee Club 

 our sincere thanks. 



A. G. Hi MPHREy, 



Gibes, 



Committee. 



President-elect Dennis now briefly addressed the Society, thank- 

 ing the Elmwood people for their efforts to make our visit pleasant, 

 and urging them to send a good delegation to the next meeting in 

 Champaign. 



On motion, the Society adjourned sine die. 



FOREST-TREE-GROWIXG A NATI0:N^AL :NECESSITY. 

 BY A. H. GASTOlf, LACON. 



In looking forward one hundred years, and speculating on the 

 demand that there will then be for valuable varieties of timber, it 

 becomes us, in our generation, to try and supply, at least in part, the 

 coming need. For the past hundred years our natural increase has 

 been 33 per cent. There is no reason why we should not, in the next 

 hundred years, increase in the same ratio. This will give us a popu- 

 tion of at least 400,000,000, or eight times our present population. 

 For this reason we will need eight times the present number of 

 buildings, railroads, bridges, etc. It is a good thing for our arbori- 

 culturists, or forest-tree planters, to educate the masses of the Am- 

 erican tree planters as to what varieties of forest trees will pay the 

 best. We are convinced that there is no investment of land, money 

 and labor which will increase the individual, state, or national wealth 

 as fast as the time and money spent in the planting of our most 

 valuable varieties of timber. 



Below is a. select list of varieties that we would recommend to 

 tree planters as the most valuable: Black Walnut, Hardy Catalpa, 

 Black Locust, Black Cherry, Osage Orange, Burr Oak, Shell-bark 

 Hickory, Pecan, Hard Maple, White Pine, Black Birch, Balsam Fir, 

 and White Ash. Tlie above mentioned "baker's dozen" varieties 

 all have a money value in the timber, and can be grown in some part 

 of our nation, from Southern Florida to Northern Dakota. We can 

 make a safe estimate, in growing Black Walnut timber, that in all 

 trees planted and well cared for until one hundred years old, the 

 timber and stump will bring at least 8100, and that the nuts they 

 bear will pay the rent for the ground the trees occupy, after the first 

 ten years. In planting one acre of walnut trees thirty feet apart 



