338 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I told it to the state federation, but because the MinneapoHs 

 Journal did not say anything about it they thought I said noth- 

 ing. They will tell you that five per cent will be blown down or 

 nearly that, and your senator will come back and tell you the 

 same thing, he will tell you that five per cent were blown down. 

 I want to tell you that senator was never on the forest reserve 

 proper. He was up here on the ten sections that are reserved 

 from sale and settlement to protect the boundaries of their lakes. 

 The blow-down was great on that section, but lots of those 

 trees were very old. Then the wet spring and unusual winds 

 this year caused a heavy blowdown. There was a blow-down 

 on the reserve proper, but when I tell you that the blow-down 

 •on the reserve was but five per cent actual count you will know 

 "what Mrs. Hudson thinks of it." And when I tell you that 25 

 per cent, of the seeded trees could blow down and* refore- 

 station not be interfered with, you will see no serious damage was 

 done. 



I want you to look at this map of Minnesota ((exhibiting 

 map). Look at this area of the state of Minnesota and then 

 look at this small section enclosed within the blue line. Then 

 I ask you if the people of Minnesota cannot give thai much ; I ask 

 if this cannot be given up to your children and my children. 

 We have here a show ground that is equal in its own way to 

 Niagara, to the Yellowstone Park or to any of the show places 

 in America. We have a chain of forty lakes, and the wild beau- 

 ty of this country is unrivaled anywhere in America. This is 

 the headwaters of the Mississippi river, and you know what 

 forestry means there. You have a natural park everywhere. 

 You have the most wonderful formation of cedar on Star Is- 

 land, covering probably 1,300 acres, and within this island is 

 Lake Helen, covering eighty acres. It has its Indian legend 

 telling why they refuse to visit the spo^. They believe it is in- 

 habited by an evil spirit. They believe they cannot go to the 

 happy hunting grounds from the island. 



Coming back from Lake 13 one day on either side of the road 

 a group of Indians had pitched their tents. They had been selling 

 blueberries and were returning from town. The brave was lying 

 on the ground, the squaw with papoose strapped to her back was 

 gathering firewood. We could not ask anything more artistic or 

 pictureque than the scene we saw right there. 



I believe it is simply a matter of education of the people. 

 I will illustrate this by a little meeting we had in our own town 



