280 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



tion that has g-iveu us this splendid outlook and work we see before 

 us here, something' over a year ago, after the great fires, that I 

 thought out a little scheme for the acquiring by the state of Minne- 

 sota the beginning of a forest area without taxing the farmers in 

 the rural districts. In the first place, it would not do to ask the 

 people of the state of Minnesota to issue bonds or tax themselves to 

 buy the beginning of a forest area. Too many of the people in this 

 generation have been engaged in cutting down the forests in order 

 to make themselves farms on which to earn their living. It would 

 not do, perhaps, to divert the forests that are owned by the state for 

 certain purposes from the purposes for which they were dedicated 

 to the state, such as school lands and others, for state forest area. 

 It would not do, for the state has been made trustee of these lands 

 for some specific purpose. The question of taxing land came up in 

 my mind. There is not a state in the Union I know of, that has 

 made a permanent ownership of lands, title to which it acquired by 

 tax sale. If such is the case, I have failed to observe it. It is pos- 

 sible it might be brought about, that lands which have been sold 

 for taxes might be diverted in the direction of a permanent forest 

 area; but the same questions would be involved in regard to land 

 acquired bj^ the state by tax title as in the case of an individual. 

 The same dii^culties would have to be contended with. We all 

 know that no one likes to put up a permanent improvement upon 

 lauds acquired by tax title for the state to sell. It would be a good 

 deal like taking away the property of the individual for the benefit 

 of the state at large. And, therefore, I thought to myself that it 

 might be possible that an appeal might be made to the wealthy 

 pine owners of the state to give part of their lands, that part which 

 could not be used for agricultural purposes, to the state for forest 

 area. If we could make it an incentive to the lumbermen to donate 

 such land for that purpose, that could perhaps be done. And for 

 that purpose I drafted a paper, which is only two or three pages 

 long, with that idea in view. It will only take a few minutes to read it. 

 The substance of this was gone over in a conversation with Gov- 

 ernor Pillsbury. I coiumuuicated mj^ plan to him, and it brought 

 to his remembrance the pot of money he made, when a boj' back in 

 New Hampshire, from buying cut-over lands. I will read this with 

 j'our permission. This paper was addressed to the lumbermen of 

 the state. 



PAPER BY J. X. CROSS. 



Minneapolis, Minn., Dec, 24, 1895. 

 To the Owners of Large Areas of Pine Lands in Minnesota: 



Gentlemen: — In view of the awakening regarding the preserva- 

 tion of our forests, I desire to submit for j'our consideration a sug- 

 gestion in the line of preserving, as far as possible, our forest areas, 

 while benefiting both the state and the owners of pine holdings. 



I am informed that in Maine and in certain mountainous districts 

 of the East, where lauds are kept only for growing timber, that the 

 same are cut over clean about three times a century, or once each 

 generation. Individuals would not feel like paying taxes for that 

 length of time in order to reap a harvest of timber thrice only in a 



