350 MINNESOTA STATE Hd^TICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



think that the forestry literature of this country is to be criticized as 

 being too largely of the European sort, especially of the German 

 sort, and it seems to me that it is very foolish indeed to talk about 

 German systems of forestry, unless you introduce German econo 

 mics, and we, of course, think this quite impossible. 



In selecting reservations there are a number of points that should 

 be borne in mind. Too much sameness of land will limit the range 

 of experiments. In this state it would seem as if practical forestry 

 was going to be confined almost entirely to the growing of conifer- 

 ous trees, especially white and Norway pine and, in some sections^ 

 spruce, and we should aim to select land with the purpose of obtain- 

 ing, if possible, good stands of all three of these trees. Light soil 

 and heavy soil should also be obtained, for there are large stretches 

 of sandy soil in this state which will probably never be adapted to 

 agricultural purposes, and if the present system, or lack of system, 

 in their management continues evidence seems to show that some- 

 time they will become drifting sand dunes. It would also be desir- 

 able to have some land well adapted to the growth of deciduous 

 trees, especially such as the soft maple and some of the poplars, for 

 it is quite evident that these trees will make merchantable lumber 

 on moist soil much quicker than any of the pines, and in the search 

 for cheap lumber which is bound to come after the white pine is cut 

 off I am disposed to think that probably the soft maple will play 

 quite an important part, especially for flooring and interior finish- 

 ing, for which it seems well adapted. The growth of oak should 

 also receive some attention, for although land that is well adapted to 

 the hardwood is comparatively limited in this state and will proba- 

 bly be used for agricultural purposes, yet it is worth while to make 

 some experiments with this class of trees. Some of the Rocky 

 Mountain conifers should be tried, especially the Douglas spruce, 

 which has proved to be very hardy in this state, and which on the 

 Pacific coast and in the Rocky Mountains makes a very large and 

 rapid growth. In addition to this, I think we should try the black 

 spruce of Maine, which seems to be a larger and more rapid growing 

 tree than the kind that we have here. 



It seems to me that it would not be desirable to experiment very 

 largely with many kinds other than those which I have mentioned. 

 It might, perhaps, be well to have some swamp land that is adapted 

 to the growing of white cedar, as the supply of white cedar is becom- 

 ing quite limited. Such a reservation as this, besides offering good 

 opportunities for the study of the wood-producing qualities of dif- 

 ferent trees, would afford most excellent opportunities for studying 

 the best means of securing new growth upon the land. I am thor- 

 oughly well convinced that the planting of land with forest trees 

 for lumber is impracticable in this state on account of the great 

 cost, and my idea would be to confine our efforts almost entirely to 

 the reproduction of trees from seed and to try the best ways of secur- 

 ing the natural re-seeding of the land with valuable kinds. In most 

 of the European states that are renowned for their well managed 

 forests, comparatively little work is done in replanting, and the for- 

 est manager who has a very large amount of planting to do is often 



