164 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



i 

 ever small, for the benefit of the landlord, and the latter is less inclined to 

 spend money where he does not see that he is getting a direct benefit for 

 himself. To let the trees become shabby or go to utter destruction is a 

 short-sighted policy for any individual or community. 



In short, an effort should be made to secure legislation which shall make 

 compulsory the placing of guards around trees in exposed places. Fur- 

 thermore, the care of the trees in public grounds should be entrusted only 

 to persons especially trained for the purpose. An engineer may be admir- 

 ably qualified to construct good roads, but it does not, therefore, follow 

 that he knows how to manage trees, and even those who have attained great 

 skill in the cultivation of flowers and the arrangement of flower-beds are 

 not necessarily the best persons to look after trees. The desirable legis- 

 lation can probably be secured just as soon as the public understand why 

 it is desirable and necessary. It is all very well to talk about the protec- 

 tion of forests and the formation of national parks in distant states. But 

 we have our own forests, which are the trees in our streets and public 

 grounds, and before turning our eyes in other directions we had better see 

 what is needed at home. It devolves upon you, ladies and gentlemen, so to 

 educate the public in this matter that they shall soon learn to recognize 

 that a tree is something to be respected and protected. It is not enough 

 that we erect commemorative tablets before a few historical trees, and take 

 strangers to see, not so much the trees as the tablets. Historical associa- 

 tion may lend an additional interest, but every well-developed tree has 

 that within itself which should command our respect and admiration, 

 its beauty and its utility. 



The lecture was illustrated by views, thrown upon a screen, of wounds 

 caused by the gnawing of horses; specimens of skillful, and of careless 

 pruning; stumps of broken branches, etc., showing the progress at differ- 

 ent stages of Nature's efforts to heal them. Several kinds of fungi which 

 are found upon and in such wounds were also shown, with the method of 

 their growth and appearance at different stages of development. This 

 exhibition included front, side and sectional views, which, with Professor 

 Farlow's explanations, afforded a very clear and complete idea of the 

 subject. 



