STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 357 



who, I ask, can estimate their value to the coming generations 

 who will occupy this great country? It would be hard to find a 

 man that would say he did not believe the planting and growing 

 of trees would be a benefit to the country. But it is easy to find 

 plenty who say they don't believe that forest and fruit trees can 

 be grown successfully on our high prairies. These same fellows 

 have been found following in the wave of emigration ever since 

 the Prairie States began to be settled, and whenever they have 

 remained long enough they have been reaping benefits from tree 

 planting, though it was done by their more energetic and indus- 

 trious neighbors. It is also easy to find men* who would give the 

 last dollar out of their pockets to send men to your capital to 

 lobby bills through to move capitals, divide and subdivide 

 counties, make more county seats, incorporate cities and vil- 

 lages, all of which means to increase officers, and as a result in- 

 crease taxes on the already overburdened tax payer. Many of 

 these left the East because there were not offices enough to go 

 around, and they are anxious to derive means whereby they can 

 be supported in Dakota. But, as I honestly believe, the future 

 wealth and prosperity of the citizens of this great Territory de- 

 pend largely on the planting of trees, why would it not be more 

 suitable to raise money and send men to confer with our legisla- 

 ture and urge them to pass some county and state laws to encour- 

 age tree planting! Those states that have exempted a certain 

 number of acres from taxation for the planting of trees, took a 

 great stride in the right direction. The pioneers of Dakota, be- 

 ing largely Americans, mostly intelligent farmers from the East 

 and South, it is to be expected, they will plant trees generously. 

 They have much to encourage and guide them. Illinois and 

 Wisconsin have been experimenting in tree planting for many 

 years in an open country and cold climate, and have been pub- 

 lishing the results from time to time. Minnesota, our sister 

 State on the east, has been following in the wake of Wisconsin in her 

 experiments and in the diffusion of horticultural knowledge. So 

 we too, can organize here and profit by the experience of those 

 states, until we as a society, are well established and become able 

 and willing to imj)art instruction to still newer portions of the 

 country. I consider the outlook promising and favorable for the 

 good work going on. I well remember in 1850, in Wisconsin, of 

 hearing business men and farmers say, there is no use in 

 planting apple trees here, the winters are so long and cold, 

 and the prairies so windy that they will die before they will 



