130 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Last summer we appealed to Secretary Hitchcock to ask the 

 Secretary of Agriculture to assist in the investigation by giving the 

 service of a trained forester. Our fear was that the report by an 

 official of the Interior Department, unskilled in knowledge of soils 

 and forestry, would fail to put it upon a practical economic basis. 

 So far we have been unable to obtain this on the ground of "causing 

 delay," and at this time — a full year later — that is still the excuse 

 of Mr. Page Morris and Mr. Eddy, an "investigation would cause 

 delay !" 



We want to show plainly what can be done with this reserve if 

 the lumber barons are not permitted to wrest it away, as they did 

 the reservation at Red Lake, where they acquired timber at ten 

 cents on the dollar. We want to show that the Indians can be hon- 

 estly paid in full. We want the timber lands placed under the man- 

 agement of the National Bureau of Forestry with their title in the 

 government, and we are willing to have all the agricultural land 

 opened up to settlement. But it is folly to use poor land for agri- 

 culture when by using it for what it is adapted — tree culture — it 

 yields a larger annual revenue. 



Some one spoke this afternoon of the tariff on lumber. I want 

 to say just a word about that. Lumbering is in a transitional stage. 

 Lumbermen — many of them — realize that their old methods will not 

 be available in the future, when they will have to conduct lumbering 

 on business principles, looking beyond the immediate moment to 

 permanent operations. When the time comes that they are ready 

 for concerted and intelligent effort, legislation will come along sev- 

 eral lines to expedite and render possible so important an industry, 

 which under the present system of taxation claims some excuse for 

 being irrational and wasteful. 



The history of lumbering in Europe and in our own country 

 shows us that this is a vital question and that our forests if we are to 

 avoid great hardship and impoverishment must be administered, 

 as in Europe, with economy and knowledge. 



Minnesota has now one million acres of cut-over and vacant 

 land. Can we not have several hundred thousand acres left in for- 

 est? 9 



I think our delegation in congress would not venture to allow 

 this opportunity to pass from our state if the people would write 

 and demand it of them with unmistakable interest and hold them 

 responsible for its final settlement. There are tremendous possi- 

 bilities for Minnesota if we learn to use and not abuse our forest 

 wealth. 



