153 



Trees for Profit. 



And now, to him who, in a spirit of thrift and ecoaomy worthy of that people to 

 ■whom as an American he belongs, Avould ask what is all this worth! let me say that the 

 judicious selection and planting of trees may be made one of the most profitable branches 

 of agriculture. Not for the beauty of the town alone, but for a thrifty use of remote 

 and deserted acres also may the culture of trees be made a part of the business of life, 

 A venerable clergyman in Massachusetts, the father of one of the most distinguished 

 bankers in Boston, left at his death a large territory of woodland in the town which was 

 blessed with his ministry for more than fifty years, and the profits on this land, which he 

 had purchased at a very low rate at the beginning of his professional service, and which 

 had been devoted to the growth of wood, principally pine, were greater than those real- 

 ized on lands purchased and sold at the same periods in the most prosperous part of 

 Boston. " We have heard of a gentleman," says the author of Practical Economy, 

 " whose lands were more extensive than fertile, whose practice was to plant fifteen hun- 

 dred trees, on the birth of every daughter, upon his waste grounds, which were on an 

 average worth one pound each on her becoming of age, thus enabling him to give her a 

 fortune of £15,000 without any extraordinary economy on his part, the regular thinning 

 of the trees at proper seasons, with barking, etc., paying off the current expenses, besides 

 yielding him a small rent for the land." The profits derived from the growing of the 

 pine, the locust, and birch, all capable of flourishing greatly in light and worthless lands, 

 have been in many instances very remarkable. Perhaps I would not recommend the 

 cultivation of wood and timber as a universal branch of agriculture in these days when 

 the secret of the business lies in quick returns and devotion to local markets ; but I can 

 find in the experience of those who have tried it an encouragement to those who, by the 

 possession of large tracts of waste lands, may be compelled to follow their example in the 

 business of tree-planting ; and I read with profound interest the stateinant addressed to 

 Governor Foster by an enterprising citizen of this State, with regard to his success in 

 tree planting, and the groves of walnuts, maples and chestnuts which he is cultivating 

 with pleasure and profit. 



But more than all this, to the poetic and practical alike I would present the advan- 

 tage of 



Ornamental Gardening, 



both in our towns and around our rural homes, and its kindly effect upon the character 

 of those who are subject to its influences. It is an old story, I know — this of the refine- 

 ment and invigoration which attend pursuits upon the soil — ^but it is so true and so 

 charming and, I am sorry to say, so little heeded, that it may, if properly told, be re- 

 peated a thousand times, and heard with pleasure and profit. The devotion of mankind 

 in all ages to the land is a feature of social and civil history which cannot be lost sight 

 of by him who would trace the steps which man has taken in his progress and develop- 

 ment. " To dress the garden and to keep it," was the first duty imposed on man when 

 he entered into his career on earth, and " to dress the garden and to keep it " has been 

 the desire of every man who, after long wanderings, has learned the point from whence 

 all his impulses sprang. The poor man seeks the soil ; the rich and the powerful believe 

 in its refreshing influences and its repose. The industrious and frugal mechanics and 

 labourers of our country all toil for a home and a spot which they can cultivate. The 

 merchant of our day, like his ancestor in the early periods of our commercial history, 

 when every man bought a farm, believe now in the delights of rui'al and suburban life. 

 The law and the custom of our fathers was a land-holding clergy, established for life in 

 their ministrations. From the farms and plantations of the colonies sprang brave and 

 hardy and wise men, who gave us our freedom and our nationality. 



I trust, therefore, that to this and to all other associations dedicated to the work of 

 preserving and restoring our vast forest wealth, and of beautifying the earth upon which 

 we tread, the people of this continent will extend a grateful heart and a helping hand. 



In conclusion, let me urge upon this Association the most careful consideration of 

 the topics before it — the use of forests ; the conservation of forests ; the influences, in- 



