43 



These relations are too significniit and constant to be simply coincident, 

 and iu my judgment do demonstrate a very close relation Ijetween tlie for- 

 •ests and tlie fruit cfops. 



It is true that many counties lilve Tipton, Vigo, Putnam and Hendriclis, 

 tliat are not now largely covered with timber, are among our Ijest pro- 

 <lucers of apples, but in these places investigation shows that the raising 

 of apples is attended with great dilhculty and spraying and other precau- 

 tions are required that twenty years ago were not necessary. I do not 

 insist that the presence of large tracts of forests in Indiana are absolutely 

 necessary for the production of a successful fruit crop, but tlie facts seem 

 to show that such tracts are conducive to its best development. It is 

 more than a coincidence that Harrison County, with the largest acreage 

 of forest of any county in the State, stands second in the size of its apple 

 crop and first in its peach crop. 



The influence of the forest is manifested in their moderating effects 

 that prevent sudden changes and extremes of temperature that would be 

 injurious to fruit trees; also the retention of the snow in winter prevents 

 the ground from freezing and imperiling their roots. The removal of the 

 forests in the vicinity of orchards has caused the disappearance of the 

 hii'ge nuinbcr of birds that formerly made their homes near but are now 

 driven to distant forests for nesting and seldom appear in the orchard. 

 Uliese birds formerly destroyed large numbers of insect pests that no^^' 

 so seriously affect both trees and fruit. The general absence of these 

 insects in luMvily timbered counties is doubtless due to the birds. It is 

 iinT likely that tlie i)resence of new insect pests, introduced into the State 

 in nursery stuck and in other ways, would account for the decline in many 

 counties since any sucli pest would soon be generallj- distributed over 

 the State and affect all regions alike. The raising of perfect apples is 

 a i tended Avith ditticulty and yields such poor financial retiu-us that the 

 number of trees iu the State has decreased twenty-five per cent, during the 

 last twenty years, but the decline in the yield has been fifty-five per cent, 

 for the same period. 



There can be no question as to the infiuence of the forests on the 

 abundance and condition of the fish in our streams. The presence of 

 fish depends largely on the constancy and character of the water iu the 

 stream and this is so directly connected Avith the size and location of our 

 forests that tlie relation is easily recognized. 



