198 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



tliem to be placed in their natural position, or to press it properly about 

 the roots so that they may hold the tree lirmly in place and at the same 

 time allow their delicate fibrils to lay hold of the food upon which the 

 life and growth of the plant are dependent. Then, again, how often is it 

 taken for granted that the tree, once placed in the ground, will take care 

 of itself and grow without any further attention. wSo the tree planter 

 allows tlie grass and weeds to spring up around his young trees and 

 absorb the nutriment which they ought to have, and then wonders that 

 the tender trees wither and die. Failures in tree planting are attributa- 

 ble to ignorance and carelessness. The intelligent and careful ])l:inter 

 does not often complain of failure. The late Leonard L>. Hodges, super- 

 intendent of tree planting on the Saint Paul and Pacific Eailroad, and 

 well known for his interest and success in forest-tree planting, says : "I 

 suppose that i)ortion of the treeless region of Minnesota, which is inter- 

 sected by the main line of the first division, Saint Paul and Pacific Kail- 

 road, is a fair average of the treeless region of ISIinnesota, no better and 

 'no worse. I-I^ow, my expori(>nce in this work on tliat range of country 

 enables rae to say with considerable confidence that I can figure as 

 closely on the cost of growing 40 acres of forest timber out there as any 

 farmer can on the cost of growing 40 acres of wheat or of corn. I might 

 truly say, with more certainty, for there is less risk in raising a crop of 

 forest tree-s," And again he lays it down as true, and challenges con- 

 tradiction, that a cro]) of trees can be grown as surely and in i)roportion 

 to its value with far less expense than a crop of corn. With anything 

 like the attention bestowed upon trees which most i)ersons are readyto 

 bestow upon their annual crops the labor of the tree planter will bo 

 crowned with success. 



DISTRIBUTION OF TREE SEEDS. 



During the year several hundred packages of tree seeds, embracing 

 thirty or more varieties have been distributed in various parts of the 

 country, chieflj' in those regions which arc most destitute of trees. It 

 is not possible for the Department, with the means at its disposal, to 

 undertake to furnish tices or seeds of trees on a large scale and 

 in quantities to meet the demands of forest planters. Nor would it be 

 desirable to do so, perhaps, if it could. If done at all, it should be doue 

 by the separate States, as it is done in some of the countries of Europe, 

 where seeds and trees are given to the planter or sold at cost, as an 

 inducement to him to plant. All that tlie General Government can 

 do is to furnish seeds in small amounts for the purpose of experiment, 

 to test their adaptation to particular soils and climates. This it can 

 properly do, and the results of experiments thus irtade should have a 

 beneficial effect in promoting sylviculture. If the Department had 

 grounds of suflicient extent to enable it to plant tree seeds and culti- 

 vate them, it might be well to send out trees in small quantities to be 

 tested as to their adaptation to A'^arious localities. 



A NATIONAL ARBORETUM. 



There ought to be at this seat of General Government an arboretum 

 and experiment station where the visitor could see si)ecimens of all our 

 native trees that will fiourish in this latitude, and also all desirable for- 

 eign trees. It should be a grand botanical gai'den in the largest and 

 best sense, where careful experiments should be made from year to year 

 in aU that pertaijis to the character and gTowth of trees, and from which 



