86 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



gest and advise that this subject be 

 taken up and thoroughly discussed in 

 public assembly, at the next winter 

 meeting of our associations. 



All of which is most respectfully 

 submitted. 



B. GoTT. 



Arkona Nurseries, Nov. 21, 1881. 



TREE PLANTING. 



A DUTY OBLIGATORY ON THE STATE ! 



A Paper read before the . Ontario Fruit Growers' Asso- 

 oiatioH, by B. Gott, Arkona, Ont. 



Our theme, you say, is again tree 

 planting y and perhaps you will feel in- 

 clined to call it hackneyed, stale, &c. 

 But after much mature and sober con- 

 sideration of the subject in its various 

 phases, we are increasingly impressed 

 with the validity of our position con- 

 cerning it. The very nature of the 

 work in its importance and extent at 

 once invests it with this high pre- 

 eminence. We hope, therefore, that 

 while we quietly pursue the line of our 

 argument to its close you will kindly 

 give us your calm and candid attention, 

 and that we and our subject may be 

 treated at once with becoming manliness 

 and Christian grace. The proposition 

 though somewhat startling and devi- 

 ating slightly from our accustomed 

 notion of things is still at once simple 

 and very plain, viz. : That it is . the 

 duty of the State to encourage tree 

 planting wherever the need exists. The 

 force of the statement may be made 

 more clearly to appear from the follow- 

 ing very proper considerations : 1st. 

 Nothing so promotes the best interests 

 of a country's healthfulness, beauty 

 and utility, like extensive and judicious 

 tree planting, and it is the recognized 

 duty of the State to encourage, and in 

 every possible way, secure these much 

 valued properties to her people. 2nd. 

 It is the duty of the State to aid and 

 encourage national agriculture, and our 



proposition is analogous and closely 

 related to it. That the encouragement 

 of agriculture is a duty of the State is 

 clearly apprehended in the customs of 

 all civilized and progressive nations ; 

 witness Old England, H'rance, Germany, 

 the United States of America and 

 Canada. T)ie leading and honored 

 countries annually lay out millions of 

 the public monies of the State for the 

 support and encouragement of their 

 national agriculture. And by this 

 means have perfected the highest and 

 best systems of popular agriculture 

 known. Why is this encouragement 

 found needful and beneficial 1 Because 

 simply that it is a well known demon- 

 strable fact that stability and perman- 

 ency of the state cannot exist without 

 it. In some countries, as ours for 

 instance, this is absolute because it is 

 the main source of production and the 

 treasure house of the wealth and ma- 

 terial greatness of the State. In many 

 respects these remarks will forcibly 

 apply to general tree planting and 

 forestry. Those noted centres of power, 

 of wealth and of civilization already 

 mentioned, not only acknowledged the 

 general truth of our proposition, but 

 are generously and studiously acting 

 upon it in the millions of acres of noble 

 forest wealth to be inspected on their 

 borders. Are we doing anything in 

 this direction? But, 3rd. It is the 

 duty of the State to protect and en- 

 courage her educational interests. This 

 as a measure of increased efficiency and 

 wealth is also closely allied to our posi- 

 tion with respect to tree planting. The 

 duty of the State to foster educational 

 interests among her people is a position 

 now generally accepted, and needs but 

 little attempts at proof. The force of 

 this practical truth is abundantly ex- 

 emplified in every day transactions of 

 all great and prosperous people, and 

 indeed it is itself the great foundation, 

 the ** chief corner stone " of all great- 



