STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 155 



After they have attained sufficient growth I will remove the other 

 trees, vrhen I will have an evergreen forest. 



You will see that I expect to live a long time yet. You suggested 

 an article on forestry, but I have not the time now. The snow is so 

 deep and drifted the mail is carried on snow shoes from Canby to Lac 

 qui Parle. It snows most of the time, and the roads are getting 

 worse every day. Yours truly, 



J. H. Brown. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Pearce. Mr. President, the growing of timber is a business to 

 which every farmer should give attention. I have been in Minnesota 

 thirty years or over. I have observed that our streams are becoming 

 dryer each year by the process which is going on of cutting away our 

 forest supplies. If this system is continued our winters will become 

 colder and our streams will continue to become less year by year. In 

 fact many of the streams will entirely dry up, and I dare say the Mis- 

 sissippi river will become nearly dry in places, and in time this coun- 

 try will become a cold and barren waste. 



Forests should be planted everywhere upon these broad prairies, but 

 I fear, at the rate we are going on, in a short time the country to the 

 west of us will be depopulated, or it will . become impossible for the 

 people to make a living. Sir, there must be forests planted; trees 

 must be planted in bodies; a small amount of timber will not answer 

 the purpose. At least one-quarter of the country should be planted 

 in timber. 



This work should be carried on under the auspices of the national 

 government. If we are to preserve the fertility of the soil, and make 

 this country habitable, the sooner it is taken hold of by the govern- 

 ment the better it will be for all parties concerned. 



Last winter I had occasion to go over some of this broad prairie 

 country, and had an opportunity to talk with some of the people who 

 live in those treeless regions, and they wanted to know what should 

 be done. I said "plant evergreens; plant them by the millions!" 



I hope this Society will take some action in regard to the forestry 

 question. We ought to urge upon the government to wake up in this 

 matter. There is no good judgment in being quiet on the subject 

 any longer, gentlemen. A thousand years hence and this whole 

 country will be a cold, barren, desert region, if the present condition 

 of things is allowed to prevail. 



