42 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



^yould be greatly improved and be made more helpful to the great 

 forestry interests of our state were it provided with proper facilities 

 for carrying on demonstration work in forestry, and, 



Resolved, that we recommend to the legislature of the state of 

 Minnesota that it provide suitable facilities of this kind from for- 

 est land held by the state and make reasonable provision for the 

 maintenance thereof. 



C. D. Decker, 

 Sec'y Board of Regents. 



Just at present there is a great and special need of a demonstra- 

 tion forest in order to make the forestry work of the state univer- 

 sity most practical and helpful. In the case of agriculture, students 

 can go to the good farmers of the state for field instruction, but 

 in the case of forestry there is scarcely such opportunity. 



A demonstration forest, too, would be of much help to the own- 

 ers of timber lands in showing them the possibilities of such proper- 

 ty. Such a demonstration forest would in effect be a forest experi- 

 ment station. 



The idea is that the forestry students c f the university should 

 before graduating be required to serve at least seven months in 

 practical work in forestry. It is a fortunate coincidence that the 

 State of Minnesota has in Itasca Park a tract of land in every way 

 adapted for this purpose and which would be improved by being 

 used as a forest reserve as well as a park. Under present condi- 

 tions there is little to encourage visitors in going to this place, but 

 with forestry added to its park features it could be made a more 

 popular resort. 



A bill has been prepared by Attorney General Young to bring 

 this about, and it will be introduced in the legislature shortly. This 

 measure has the approval of Governor Johnson. By its provisions 

 Itasca Park is placed under the State Forestry Board for general 

 management, and provision is made for permitting the use of as 

 much of it as may be needed for demonstration work in connection 

 with the forestry courses in the University of Minnesota. 



The story of Itasca Park, and a discussion of the way in which 

 it might be used to special advantage in helping develop forestry 

 in Minnesota, is well told in the following article by Mr. E. G. 

 Cheyney, the assistant in forestry in the University of Minnesota. 



