ARBORICULTURE. 



281 



PERNICIOUS INFLUENCE OF A 

 WASTED LIFE. 



For half a century there have been a 

 handful of earnest, patriotic men labor- 

 ing amorug the people oi the United 

 States in the interest of the forests, api- 

 pealing to iumbermen to be more con- 

 servative in their operations, and to the 

 legislative authorities for protective for- 

 est laws, and to those who- constantly 

 consume large quantities oi wood' that 

 they should plant trees in order that a 

 continuous supply could be maintained. 

 These advocates of forestry have urged 

 the planting of trees for both economic 

 and climatic reasons. 



At times these efforts have been meas- 

 urably successful and many have become 

 convinced of the necessity of providing 

 for the approaching famine in timber, 

 and begun the planting of forests. 



During all this time there have been 

 certain blundering obstructionists who 

 have persistently opposed all these ef- 

 forts, and for unaccountable reasons 

 have placed every obstacle possible in the 

 way. 



One of these individuals, an alien, with 

 high-sounding titles, became chief of the 

 United States Forestry Bureau. He was 

 at the head of this bureau while that 

 magnificent Congressional Timber Cul- 

 ture act, intended to^ help the pioneers 

 of the Western prairies and plains in cov- 

 ering these treeless wastes with torest 

 verdure, was in full force. 



This individual, deploring anything 

 American, unable to^ rise tO' the occasion 

 and give counsel and assistance to the 

 pioneers, refused to assist in the planting 

 of American trees. 



Sitting in his- ofifice in an upper story' 

 of the Agricultural Building, he piled up 



statistics in quantities, but planted no 

 trees. 



He lost the greatest opportunity ever 

 offered by this Government tO' any man, 

 through his obstinacy, while one of the 

 most important efforts of the American 

 Congress became a total failure^ — since 

 the only man in the authorized forest 

 service of the Government failed tO' per- 

 form a simple duty, that of giving in- 

 structions and advice to the struggling 

 pioneers, who, from inabiHty to procure 

 seeds or plants of forest trees of value, 

 were compelled to plant what they could 

 most readily obtain, cottonwood and box 

 elder, trees unsuited to high-land condi- 

 tions ia a semi-arid region. 



Later, when supplanted, and receiving 

 from the State of New York large areas 

 in the Adirondacks for experimental for- 

 estry, he again lost a great opportunity 

 and made a gigantic failure, destroying 

 large tracts of forests without restoring 

 them. 



While occupying a chair in Cornell 

 University, he repeatedly lectured his 

 pupils against the terrible wickedness of 

 planting catalpa trees, of which Ameri- 

 can tree he was and is yet in the darkest 



Ignorance. 



A succession of pupils have been poi- 

 soned against the work or the men en- 

 gaged in urging the planting O'f trees, 

 and against that wicked, worthless 

 Yankee tree, the catalpa. 



Later, in his quarterly journal of pro- 

 fcsdonal forestry, he has employed these 

 pupils to dilate upon the great mistake 

 railways and people were making in 

 planting trees, especially the American 

 catalpa tree. 



A forestry pro'fessor fighting against 

 the planting of trees. What a spectacle! 

 .^nd how contemptible! Poor, blind, mis- 

 guided and misguiding mortal. Do you 



