286 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



J. M. Underwood: We shall be pleased to hear from Gen- 

 eral Andrews on this subject. 



REMARKS BY GEN'L C. C. ANDREWS. STATE FIRE WARDEN. 



Mr. President, ladiea and gentlemen: I did not come prepared to 

 make anj- speech, and I will not occupj- much time. I have been 

 listening to these people, and of course have enjoyed this discus- 

 sion verj- much, and am heartil)* in accord with the resolutions and 

 plans brought up here and endorsed by this very organization. I 

 am glad to meet with so manj' intelligent people from the different 

 parts of the state and believe the endorsement of these projects by 

 this association is of great value. I beljeve these lands would 

 prove very valuable state lands, and if this agitation is kept up, I 

 presume the result will be the adoption of some legislative measure. 



There are one or two ideas I would like you to bear in mind 

 Every one of you, I suppose, is a lover of the forests, a lover of the 

 pine woods, and every one knows that it is a great sanitary factor. 

 People go to the Southern states in order to spend some months of 

 recreation in the pine woods of the South; they also go to the pine 

 woods of Minnesota, as especially the pine woods are very favor- 

 able summer resorts and noted as great health resorts. 



Now, some of j'ou, no doubt, have seen something of the virgin 

 forests of Minnesota, know something of the forests we have had up 

 in the Lake Superior region, in Pine county and neighboring coun- 

 ties, all the way from Rush Cit}- up to Lake Superior. Now there 

 is hardly a tree to be seen. But this idea which I wish to impress 

 upon you — it will onl}* take a few minutes — is that we have in the 

 vicinity of Minneapolis, on the shore of a lake, timber of great im- 

 portance, grand pines, but which will be verj- rare in a very few 

 years. Then up here in Carlton count}", in our own state, is a rem- 

 nant of the original pine forests which would make a fine health 

 resort if preserved, but they are cutting them off verj' fast. Then, 

 there is Red Lake, 5"ou know, that is a verj' extensive and a very 

 grand forest. There ia — as I have stated in my report — there is a 

 most magnificent forest, which could be acquired without any 

 trouble— I have reference to the forest of Red Lake. That should 

 be obtained, the merchantable timber sold off, the rest reserved to 

 be kept as a perpetual forest area. Now, every one here is inter- 

 ested in having one or two of the virgin forests of Minnesota held 

 in its primeval state, and the grand trees, that have been there for 

 two hundred years or more, three feet in diameter and a hundred 

 feet high, preserved. Such a magnificent forest would make a fine 

 health resort. It would draw a great manj- visitors to this state. It 

 would be of great value to our own people. I am glad that so great 

 an interest has been taken in this tnatter, and the preservation of 

 the forests will add something of beauty, of health, of comfort and 

 pride to the state. 



I thank j-ou. 



President J. M. Underwood: Ladies and gentlemen: in 

 carrying out the details in this important work, you will accom- 

 plish something of interest, something of value to the state. 



