436 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



therefore, as nature can do nothing- for the man who will not help 

 himself. If you will help her she will award 3'ou with the proudest 

 and most satisfactor}^ results to crown 3'our feeble efiforts. Try it! 



PRECIPITATION OF RAIN. 



Ninth — Trees are an encouragement to rainfall and water supply. 

 This has now become a settled principle in the creed of understand- 

 ing tree planters, and our observation teaches us that it is correct. 



Trees by means of their influence on the atmosphere increase the 

 amount of condensation of moistvire and precipitation. Again, by 

 means of their roots and their action on the soil, they check the 

 force and injur}^ of torrents, and by rendering the ground p(Jt-ous 

 and open, largely drink it in, to be given out again when and where 

 most needed. But, again, forests, by meaps of their abundant foli- 

 age, evaporate or throw off enormous quantities of moisture into the 

 air, and this, after being carried about by the winds, is condensed 

 by the coolness of evening, and falls plentifully upon the neighbor- 

 ing country in the form of pearly dew. So the action of the trees 

 and the relation of the atmosphere is constantly going on, and every 

 time man receives blessings by the mysterious arrangement. Plant 

 trees for moisture! 



GENERAL BENEFITS. 



Tenth, and lastl3\ Bj' planting trees for ornamentation and shade, 

 we shall have more fruit and better fruit, better crops of grain and 

 grass, better horses and cattle and more pleasure and purer 

 enjoyments in life. We need trees around our orchards to give out 

 warming and tempering influences in the springtime when the 

 trees are covered with tender blossoms and the air is loaded with 

 pinching cold. We need the presence of trees around our fields and 

 our homes in summer to condense the cooling vapers and to invite 

 the pleasant zephyrs to fan our parched brows. More especially, we 

 need the presence of trees in our winters to offer a calm resistance 

 to the raging blast and-to shelter the tender buds of our fruit trees 

 from the withering cold and killing frost. We need their grateful 

 presence around the home, of our loved ones, for their presence is 

 cheering to our eyesight, and it is a relief to look upon them while 

 nothing but whiteness'is all around. 



Let us each in our humble way strive to add our humble mite to 

 the sum total of our engagements of this humble life below by 

 ])lanting a few trees to live and testify of us after our heads are laid 

 low and otir hands are still in everlasting rest. 



