nSTDIANA HORTICTJLTTJRAL SOCIETY. 553 



before you it is positively heartrending. We came across a family last 

 winter living in a place lilje this, and they were positively destitute. 

 They had nothing in the house but beds, and little enough of them. 

 My Ranger found this. This is a very serious matter when you put a 

 poor man on a poor acre. Give a poor man a good acre when you want 

 to give him something. 



Now, another word with regard to the action of the State. You will 

 wonder why the State does not pay more attention to this. If this work 

 is to be a go it should not be cast off on charity, but should be a business 

 proposition. It should be either that or nothing. And now I want to 

 say to you that I have no charity talk to make for forestry. If the 

 State of Indiana should find out tomorrow that it would be better for it 

 to clear off every acre of land, then by all means clear it. The history 

 of Europe is old, and it is one worth studying. These people have gone 

 through fire from start to finish. There was a time when they believed 

 in burning off the woods. That time has long gone by. It is better in 

 history, and still better in tradition. When I was born forestry was no 

 longer talked of as an experience. It was a matter of course, the same 

 as corn is with you. The State of Michigan today makes $5 an acre over 

 and above all expenses on every acre of its farm lands^ This is just 

 the same as on the farm and with the large corporations. We have 

 three forms of forest in our country. When the father is a saving man 

 you know what the boy does. The father keeps a very good forest, but 

 he steps out when it is about forty years old. The boy says, "I will 

 take the money now." That is the point. The State is just a large indi- 

 vidual. A man always wants big interest. I have been asked within 

 the last three months, "How much could we make by handling these 

 lands in the way you suggest in the way of interest?" I answered, "Two 

 per cent." That settles it immediately, for they want eight or twenty 

 per cent. They would rather have ten thousand per cent, over night. 

 This is the spirit of the American. He wants big interest, and wants it 

 quick. What we want is two things— protection and reasonable taxation. 

 Take a lumberman in the north, and bring him into court. Or, better 

 still, bring in a horse thief and try to convict him for stealing horses. 

 It is impossible as long as you have horse thieves on the jury. Now, this 

 is just the state of affairs. We have very much just that kind of a time 

 up there right now. They seem to have an idea that they must get this 

 land away from the United States under any circumstances. 



The next thing is taxation, and that will be dealt with a great deal 

 better than I can. But at any rate we will be able to solve this matter 

 of taxation before long. 



Prof. Latta: When you ask for a dollar and get two it makes you 

 feel good. We asked this gentleman to come over here and give us a 

 talk, and he did it I want you to think of this talk, friends. Mr. 

 Freeman, the Secretary of the State Board of Forestry of this State, will 



