INDIANA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 555 



estry for the benefit of the people of the state and to grow trees for 

 distribution to any one Avithin the state applying for them, and con- 

 tracting to plant and grow them under instructions from the depart- 

 ment. It must, however, be understood that the principal object sought 

 in this experimental movement is the demonstration of the practical 

 and the financial success of forestry on the cheap broken lands so abund- 

 ant in Southern Indiana, and which are at this time almost worthless to 

 the owners and thereby to the state. There are about 600,000 acres of 

 this character of land which was formerly heaAaly timbered, but has been 

 denuded and now abandoned except for scanty grazing, patch farming 

 and for small second growth timber. In a later connection this feature 

 will be more fully discussed. 



In 1890 the legislature passed an act for the encouragement of forestry 

 by permitting timberland owners to exempt a portion of their holdings 

 from the i*egular land appraisement taxation, but this law has not proven 

 very satisfactory, and my opinion of it is that it should be repealed. 

 I so speak because it does not meet the requirements of the aims in 

 such a law and is perhaps unconstitutional, besides it affords opportuni- 

 ties for dishonesty. 



The progress of forestry with the people as individuals I am sure is 

 as distinctly evident as by the state. In all parts of the state I find 

 the people enthused with the movement, f^nd they are putting into action 

 their enthusiasm. A general awakening to the necessity of forestry 

 conduct seems to be the universal condition. This sentiment is shown 

 in the attempts to economize the present forests and general tree planting. 

 This awakening has revealed to forest owners that timber is the most 

 valued and most sought product now in the market. It is but recently 

 that owners of good trees have found that they are worth big money. 

 Consequently their v/anton destruction and lavish use has been super- 

 seded by a sentiment of high appreciation and saving regard. 



A good old quaker farmer in Hamilton County said to me a few weeks 

 ago when I visited him at his request to give him advice for the proper 

 handling of some trees and general forestry work on his farm, that his 

 forest trees were the most valuable property he had; that the increase 

 of value was greater on them than anj-thing he could tliink of on his 

 farms. Pointing to some rather fair oak trees he said, "Three years 

 ago I was offered $18 per thousand for them just as they stand, the 

 next year I was offered $25 per thousand just as they stand, and this last 

 spring I was begged to sell them at $35 just as they stand." "Why," 

 he says, "do you know that I have cut, rolled into log heaps and burned 

 to get them out of my way right on this farm a thousand ti'ees better 

 than any of them." The experience of this farmer is the experience of 

 every farmer of land accumulation who has lived in Indiana since the 

 Civil War. Because then of this commercial value forest owners are 

 taking care of their timber land. They are harvesting only the matured 



