288 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



individuals will not engage in the business. It must be under- 

 taken by the state. The experience of many countries puts this 

 beyond doubt. 



A forest is in a normal condition when it has trees of different 

 ages so that enough mature trees can be cut yearly or at every period 

 of five or ten years, according as the market is good, for regular 

 revenue, leaving the space cleared to be naturally or artificially 

 reforested. The forest is thus a perpetual revenue yielding capital. 

 A forester's first duty is to bring his forest into a normal condition. 



There are in scattered localities in northern Minnesota fully 

 three million acres of rocky, hilly or sandy non-agricultural land, 

 a part now held by the United States and the rest by private owners, 

 which is only fit for bearing pine. Portions of it already have tree.'? 

 from which revenue soon could be derived. This land the state 

 ought to acquire and put and keep in forest. Congress has already 

 granted to the state 20,000 acres of such land, and no doubt will 

 donate more if it sees our state ijiaking good use of what has already 

 been given and making some sacrifice for obtaining some of the 

 cut-over non-agricultural lands belonging to private individuals. 



Think of the great blessing to our state wiien it shall have the 

 3,000,000 acres of waste land in well managed forest, yielding a net 

 annual revenue of $3,000,000, traversed by good roads, well stocked 

 with fish and game, maintaining water in our rivers, lending beauty 

 to scenery and affording delightful recreation for the great publici 



We belong to a generation that does things. ^Minnesota, on 

 account of its natural forest advantages and interests ought to be 

 in the very front rank in forestry. But if we are not careful other 

 states will get ahead of us. 



Killing Ants. — Easy way of getting rid of the pest. — As nearly every- 

 one is bothered once in a while with ants, the remedy advised by The Garden 

 Magazine will be interesting: Boiling hot water poured into the holes will 

 destroy large numbers of the ants. An effective remedy is bisulphide of car- 

 bon poured into the holes. This quickly evaporates, and the heavy vapor 

 penetrates the lowest depths of the runs. Pour in two tablespoonfuls at ore 

 spot. Bisulphide of carbon is inflammable, so that it should be kept from fire 

 or sparks for fear of ignition. 



A Word from Kildonan, Manitoba.— Mr. W. H. Tomalin, an old 

 member from that far northern region, in renewing his membership, writes,"! 

 had some very large strawberries of William Belt this year. Out of twelve 

 boxes, three were filled with fourteen berries each. They had the best flavor 

 of twenty sorts. And from three rows 100 yards long of Loudon raspberries 

 I picked 275 quarts last year and 300 quarts this year, besides what the birds 

 ate." 



