«UE hae 
184 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Towards accomplishing these objects we have accumulated sufficient 
experience to enable us to say that, after the forest lands have been deeded 
to individuals, the loss of jurisdiction by the government is so great as to 
fetter effectiveaction to such a degree, that any attempt to do anything 
will be useless until the lands be bought back by the government. 
H. B. AYRES, 
Agent of the Forestry Division, Department of Agriculture. 
Washington, D. C. 
FORESTING THE GREAT PLAINS. 
BY B. E, FERNOW, CHIEF OF FORESTRY DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRI- 
CULTURE. 
In responding to the invitation of your secretary to prepare a paper on 
“Foresting the Great Plains,” I shall not attempt to discuss at length any 
technical questions connected with the subject. 
Even if we had sufficient knowledge and experience for such a discus- 
sion, it could hardly be done satisfactorily within the scope of a brief 
paper, and what I may have to say in regard to that part of the subject 
may be read in my reports,and especially in Bulletin No. 5, of which I 
send copies for distribution. 
I propose in this short paper to address myself to the economic aspect 
of the question, and especially to the position which you, as an associa- 
tion, should take toward it. 
Without meaning to reflect upon your body, with whom I have but 
slight acquaintance, except through your worthy president anda few of 
its members, it has occurred to me, that we have too many associations to 
talk and too few to act. 
It is now well understood that associated effort secures with less ex- 
penditure of energy what private endeavor can hardly accomplish. 
While the discussions and the mutual exchange of experience, which 
such meetings as yours bring with them, are certainly a stimulus and an_ 
aid to the advancement of those who participate and read the transac- 
tions, yet the sphere of an association like yours should go beyond this, 
and be extended to such action as will advance horticultural pursuits in 
those directions, in which concerted associated effort can be most suc- 
cessfully applied. ; 
Forestry, to be sure, is not horticulture; since, however, as I under- 
stand it, your association embraces forestry among its subjects, I wish 
to point out that and how your associated effort can and ought to do 
more for forest planting in the prairies and plains than to merely talk 
about it.. 
Horticulture and forestry as represented in your association, I take it, 
are only discussed in their relation and as adjuncts to farming or agricul- 
ture in general. This, at least, would be the case with forestry, for I 
suppose that, as yet, nobody is engaged in the forestry business by itself. 
The relation of forestry to horticulture is that both have to deal with 
trees, but the objects and the methods of these two branches of arbori- 
