THE MINNESOTA 



HORTICULTURIST. 



V^OL. 35- NOVEMBER. 1905. No. 11 



CREATING DEAD AND DOWN TIMBER." 



MRS. LYDIA PHILLIPS WILLIAMS, MINNEAPOLIS, SECRETARY MINNE- 

 SOTA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



(The "story of the lamp," ivhich illustrates the zvorkiiigs of the 

 "dead and down timber" provision in the Nelson lazv. This laiv 

 will again be in full force should the Morris Act be repealed.) 



To make sentiment for the repeal of the Nelson bill the Minne- 

 sota club women planned an excursion to Leech Lake, which is with- 

 in the forest reserve. The lumbermen in Minnesota are not all con- 

 verted to conservative forestry, and gallantry sometimes is forgotten 

 when "so many board feet measure" enter into the proposition. Our 

 party numbered about fifty, and included Miss Dock, a member of 

 the Pennsylvania Forestry Commission. There were two available 

 steamers on the lake that were very good and one poor old house- 

 boat. The manager had chartered the steamers for our use. Imagine 

 Dur surprise on arriving to learn that the night before the boiler of 

 the best steamer had been scuttled and put out of use and at day- 

 break the other steamer was seen scudding off down the lake. A 

 launch was sent flying after the steamer, and it was finally hailed and 

 the captain asked to explain where he was going, and why he had 

 broken faith with the ladies. "Oh," he replied, "a lumberman down 

 the lake has engaged the steamer for a week." 



Fortunately, a boiler inspector reached the town that morning, 

 special providence, you know, and, resenting such ungallant treat- 

 ment of the ladies, declared if it was possible the boat should be put 

 in repair and be ready for use the following morning. Blacksmiths, 

 plumbers and carpenters, all lent a hand, and by noon the following 

 day the party was able to go aboard. 



Our forestry friend from Pennsylvania was anxious to see the 

 character of the second growth on the reserve, and seeing a bold 

 blufF at that point, with Father Wright, chief of the Chippewa's and 

 missionary at the agency for forty years, to act as guide, we made 

 a landing. 



