43 



These relations are too siguificaiit and constant to be simply coincident, 

 :and in my .I'vidgment do demonstrate a very close relation between the for- 

 -ests and the fruit crops. 



It is true that many counties like Tipton, Vigo, Putnam and Hendriclcs, 

 that are not now largely covered with timber, are among our best pro- 

 ducers of apples, but in these places investigation shows that the raising 

 of apples is attended with great difficulty and spraying and other precau- 

 tions are required that twenty years ago were not necessary. I do not 

 insist that the presence of large tracts of forests in Indiana are absolutely 

 necessary for the production of a successful fruit crop, but the facts seem 

 to show that such tracts are conducive to its best development. It is 

 more than a coincidence that Harrison County, with the largest acreage 

 ■of forest of any county in the State, stands second in the size of its apple 

 •crop and first in its peach crop. 



The influence of the forest is manifested in their moderating effects 

 that prevent sudden changes and extremes of temperature that would be 

 injurious to fruit trees; also the retention of the snow in winter prevents 

 the ground from freezing and imperiling their roots. The removal of the 

 forests in tlie \ ii inity of orchards has caused the disappearance of the 

 large number of birds that formerly made their homes near but are now 

 driven to distant forests for nesting and seldom appear in the orchard. 

 Tliese birds formerly destroyed large numl»ers of insect pests that now 

 so .seriously affect both trees and fruit. The general absence of these 

 insects in heavily timbered counties is doubtless due to the birds. It is 

 not likely that the presence of ncAV insect pests, introduced into the State 

 in nursery stoclc and in other ways, would account for the decline in many 

 <-()unties since any such pest would soon be generally distributed over 

 the State and affect all regions alike. The raising of perfect apples is 

 attended witli ditticnlty and yields such poor financial returns that the 

 number of trees in the State has decreased twenty-five per cent, during the 

 last twenty years, but the decline in the yield has been fifty-five per cent, 

 for the same period. 



There can be no question as to the influence of the forests on the 

 abundance and condition of the fish in our streams. The presence of 

 fish depends largely on the constancy and character of the water in the 

 stream and this is so directly connected with the size and location of our 

 forests that the relation is easilj^ recognized. 



