268 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



at present as pine lands and the preservation of the title to this 

 land in the hands of the government. 



On these three points all who wish to be fair should agree. 

 So little attention has been focused on the question of retaining 

 the title to these pine lands, apart from the disposition of the pine 

 thereon, that its great significance has never been realized. Here 

 the state is legislating with a view to slowly and painfully acquiring 

 title to scattered tracts of devastated land, and at the same time 

 will allow to slip through her fingers the chance to secure for for- 

 estry within her borders a tract ideal in size and location. This 

 tract would be under the control of the government. Those who 

 imagine that this would not be an advantage should remember that 

 the state is not prepared to manage forest lands. She has neither 

 the experience nor the first outlines of a working policy, while the 

 forestry bureau has both. The recent tremendous growth of the bu- 

 reau of forestry, and the practical nature of the plans of forest 

 management which have been prepared for and adopted by many 

 lumbermen for private holdings, make it certain that any plan pre- 

 pared by them for this tract would conform to practical lines. The 

 government could and would patrol for . fires, and thus the most 

 vital point would be at once secured. 



The improvement of this opportunity for our state lies in the 

 hands of seven men, our national legislators. Let us hope they 

 will not stop short of placing the control of the cutting of this pine 

 in the hands of the forestry experts of the government. But in any 

 case it must be clearly recognized that once the title to the fraction 

 of the reservation known as pine lands passes into private hands, all 

 hope of regenerating the forest is lost, and Minnesota will some 

 day realize with sorrow her ignorant shortsightedness. 



Mr. Frank Yahnke: "The good seed has been planted, and I 

 hope we will keep on until we spread it all over the country, until 

 every home has plenty of fruit, and in the home where there is fruit 

 grown there will be happy children and healthy children. I know 

 a little something about it myself, and I know something about Mr. 

 Lord ; I know he has grown good fruit and he has grown good 

 children. Oneof his sons has got one of the biggest architectural con- 

 tracts in the country. Let us all be fruit growers, and we will be 

 honest in our old age. When a man becomes old, if he has been a 

 fruit grower, he will be honorable. Let us all be honorable in our 

 lives and in our characters, industrious and helpful, shining lights 

 by right living, beautifying the lives of our fellow men, and the 

 whole country will rise up and call us blessed, and all will share the ■ 

 benefits of our efforts." (Applause.) 



