ISO Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



we are all, old and young, students in this work of horticul- 

 ture, and in the matter of forest planting as well as in gen- 

 eral horticulture. It appears to me that we in this country 

 need to arouse the older minds: that in the state of Iowa 

 and the state of Wisconsin there are comparatively few 

 who are really earnest horticultural workers. I can not 

 speak of arousing the young people until we have aroused 

 ourselves. I was struck with the remark of the last gentle- 

 man who read a paper. He says that the lake shores should 

 be planted, and the waste places should be planted. All 

 true. Every gentleman here acknowledges that, but how 

 shall we accomplish it? In this country we have no method. 

 We have no autocrat here that says so many trees shall be 

 planted. We rely upon the education of the people. I think 

 it should be the work of this society to endeavor to arouse 

 public opinion on this subject. In my judgment, the Ameri- 

 can Pomological Association should take the initiatory in this 

 matter, and should send a delegation, or send a list of names to 

 their representatives in congress, appealing to them to take 

 this matter into consideration before it is too late; it is already 

 too late; but if we go to work in some methodical way we can 

 in a few years arouse the peopl^ to the importance of this 

 work, and we will see forests planted. The government 

 has got to do this work, and the different states have got it 

 to do. We need not only to enthuse our people on this sub- 

 ject of forest planting, but also on that of adorning their 

 homes with trees; planting their lawns with trees. I am 

 satisfied it would be safe to say that if twenty acres were 

 planted in timber upon every quarter section of the soil of 

 Iowa, Minnesota and Dakota, that the planting alone, say- 

 ing nothing of the economic value of those forests, would be 

 worth millions of dollars to each of those states in the pro- 

 tection they would give to the animals, in the saving of fuel 

 and in the prote'-.tion they would give to our homes. I be- 

 lieve we have never considered this question in its proper 

 light in this country. 



Pres. J. M. Smith — Is there anything further to be said 

 upon this subject? I believe as the gentleman has stated, 

 the question must be brought to the attention of congress 



