62 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



to the State and to the Federal Forest Service to be jdanlod experiment- 

 ally on the State and National Forests on the jack i)ine plains. Next 

 year I hope to try other poplars for the same pnrpose. 



The forest nursery has been operated successfully, planting stock 

 amounting to 120,000 trees having been sold during the year. This is 

 less than last year owing to the fact that but little seed was i)ut in four 

 and five years ago, resulting in a shortage of stock this year. ^V^e have a 

 large supply of trees which will reach salable size next year. 



In accordance with the authorization given by the State Board of Ag- 

 riculture, the department offered to give trees, sugar maple and white 

 ash from 3 to 4 feet high, to the schools in the State for Arbor Day plant- 

 ing. One hundred and eighty-five schools took advantage of this offer 

 and a great deal of interest was aroused in the movement for more beau- 

 tiful school grounds. 



Experimental work with basket willows has progressed satisfactorily. 

 Under a cooperative agreement the department furnished cuttings for 

 one-half acre at Spring Lake, the owner of the land to plant and manage 

 the holt in accordance with the recommendations of the department, 

 furnishing us with cost data. The proposed experimental holts at Ionia 

 and Grand Ilapids could not be established this year OAving to the flooded 

 condition of the land, but the experimental holt at the College was in- 

 creased in size by about one acre. The department will be in a ])osi- 

 tion next year to furnish cuttings for planting on a large scale. 



The sand dune reclamation work has also progressed satisfactorily, a 

 number of owners having been visited and much planting having been 

 done under the advice of the department. It is estimated that there are 

 410,000 acres of sand dunes in the State, many of which are gradually 

 shifting and nearly all of which can be made valuable by establishing 

 forest growth. The department has evolved an effective and cheaj* 

 method of permanently fixing these dunes, and this plan is now being 

 followed in several places. 



The department has also furnished assistance to towns and cities in 

 the care and repair of their shade trees. Public demonstrations of tree 

 repair have been given with a view to showing how such work should be 

 done. Municipal, or city forests, are also being developed as far as 

 practicable, the aim being to encourage towns to secure and reforest 

 waste or cut-over lands for park purposes from which a revenue can be 

 derived in the future by the occasional sale of timber. This work should 

 be pushed more vigorously. Other states have taken it up with success 

 and the time is now ripe for it in Michigan. 



The department has started a current tile of prices paid for saw logs, 

 stumpage and rough lumber in different parts of the State which has 

 been found useful in assisting farmers to dispose of the products of their 

 woodlots. Demonstrations and advice on the care and management of 

 woodlots have been given. The number of requests for assistance in 

 planting and woodlot work is quite large. 



Owing to the resignation of Mr. C. A. Tyler, Extension Eepresentative 

 in Forestry, in the winter term, all of the field work in forestry was 

 thrown on the members of the department. Professor Sanford spent a 

 considerable portion of the spring term in the field and a large amount 



