STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 23T 



choice, bul because he cannot get it; his winter residence is built 

 witn blocks of ice, and he braves the angry waves of the N orth 

 Seas iu a leather canoe ribbed with the bones of whales. Every- 

 where else you will find wood, sometimes only the palm tree, or 

 even the bamboo, but everywhere, in the wildest as in the most 

 civilized countries, you will find wood in daily use. 



Where the natural growth of timber is abundant, the people- 

 will waste it if they are not brought up with a due consideration 

 of its value. As a Canadian I can speak with some experience on 

 that point. In such countries, people ought to be taught the value 

 of timber, which trees to cut, which to preserve, how to thin their 

 forests with judgment, so as to increase their value, while deriving 

 a good revenue from them. , 



On the other side where the timber is scarce or where there is^ 

 none, like in the western pariries, people must be taught how to 

 grow it. They must learn what kinds of trees are best adapted to 

 their soil, their climate and their wants, and how to grow them. 



It is wonderful how little the country people in general, know 

 about forest trees. Let them begin to learn when they are youngs 

 the best mode of instructing the children; this is the surest way of 

 reaching the people at large. 



You will say : ''You are speaking of a general system of edu- 

 *' cation; remember that what you propose will only apply to the 

 '' country, and not to the cities." By far the great majority of the 

 human race live in the country, and those who are condemned to- 

 live in the cities, generally look forward, as a happy deliverance 

 and reward for their labors, to the time when they will leave town 

 and live in the country. Take the most devoted townsman and 

 ask him if the forest trees are not the finest ornament of his streets. 

 But let that distinction stand as between country people and city 

 people, if you like, I will now attempt to show that the proposi- 

 tion enunciated in the title of this paper applies to both cases, and 

 that the study of the elements of forestry can be made an import- 

 ant contributor to practical education. 



How can you teach a child a better lesson of foresight, observa- 

 tion, patience, care for the smallest details and perseverance, than 

 in teaching him to plant a tree. He will soon learn that he can 

 only transplant his tree, with hope of suecess, in certain seasons ;: 

 that if he does not take it up with care, carry it with care, replant 

 it with care, it will not grow. He will soon find out that, by weed- 

 ing and cultivating the ground carefully, staking his tree, pruning: 

 it judiciously, it will prosper. 



