GROWTH OF FORESTS. 203 



have been deprived of their original forest-covering, ^id this 

 I believe is gospel truth. The Lord never designed these 

 steep side-hills, these mountain-tops for pastures ; never de- 

 signed them for cultivation ; the topogi'aphy of the country 

 forbids. We cannot keep the soil in its place, in pasture or 

 cultivation. It was designed, and it is best, that this portion 

 of our pasture-lands, our mountain-tops and steep hillsides 

 and declivities, should be allowed, — to use that exjjression, — 

 to go back again to forests ; and I would say , should not only 

 be allowed, but should be assisted by systematic effort to go 

 back again to forest. The effect of this growth of forests 

 would be, first, to act as a shelter to our cultivated fields, to 

 make our climate more equable, and to give us a more equal 

 distribution of rain instead of having alternate seasons of 

 floods and droughts. The land which we " should then have 

 under cultivation would yield more, under the influence of 

 our forests upofi them, than the whole yields to-day. Then 

 we are agreed that, in relation to about one-half of the re- 

 mainder, we should put back upon them that which we have 

 carried away. As was said to-day, there is the real secret of 

 success in agriculture. The cause of the deterioration of 

 these fields is just as clear as sunlight; and although it is 

 said we do not know much, yet I have faith to believe that we 

 do know this, and that there is no mistake about it. We 

 know that if we would ever see these finer grasses g-row again 

 upon these fields, we must put back upon them just that which 

 we have taken away, and we know that if we return these 

 elements, the nice, nutritious grasses will grow in great abun- 

 dance. And we are of the opinion that they must be put back 

 in kind. We have robbed these field of tons and hundreds of 

 tons of phosphoric acid and lime in the form of bone ; we have 

 robbed them of nitrogen in the form of muscle. We must put 

 nitrogen back in some form ; we must put phosphate of lime 

 back in some form ; we must put potash back in some form. 

 Then, we say, that about one-half of the retnainder of these 

 fields, which are rocky, where we cannot run the plough, 

 which cannot be cultivated, must be restored to their pristine 

 condition by top-dressing. 



Now, gentlemen, do not be alarmed and say that we cannot 

 afford to do it. I tell you we can afibrd to do anything rather' 



