MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 





that makes a country beautiful and attractive cation of the tax sales, will have a measure of 527 seedlings have been sent out to the far- 



is chief among God's blessings. independence, and thus be induced to join pc- niers in different parts of the state. These 



The splendid endowment of riches our state casionally in a rebuke to machine domination seedlings have all been produced in the college 



was given in its forests no longer exists in its and political rottenness. As it is, the ma- forestry nursery, which is one of the largest in 



entirety but it was not to be expected that its jority of papers carrying the tax descriptions this part of the country. Prof. J. Fred Baker, 



was 



resources "of timber 'would "not" be~drawn upon have" been" as meek as Moses and as servile as head of the forestry department, is planning 

 for the needs of our people. We can and a pet lamb, all because of the meager income carry on the woodlot reforestation work onB 

 should however by our efforts now, intelli- afforded by the state house pap. Pontiac larger scale next year than ever before. Ov* 

 gent and energetic provide resources for those Press-Gazette. a thousand pounds of forest seeds will 

 who come after us that will prove that our planted in the nursery soon and they will 

 mission here was not alone to use and de- FOSTER'S BILL A REACTIONARY ready for distribution next spring. 

 stro y MOVE. G. T. Backus, who is connected with the sil- 

 "Pl'ant a tree" should be the watchword on Public sentiment will have but little sym- viculture department of the forest reserve at 

 \pril 30 ' 1009, and the farm roadside and pathy with. Senator Foster's bill presented in Washington, D. C., has been reaping remark- 

 school grounds' should be an evidence from the state legislature, repealing the law creating a bie results in every locality he has visited this* 

 that date on that it was not simply a precept, the forest reserve and the state forestry com- winter. Mr. Backus, under the direction of the 

 The Commission on Country Life appointed mission. Fortunately, the bill will never get college department, has spent most of his 

 by President Roosevelt suggested that the beyond the committee pigeon-hole, since the time in the vicinity of Detroit and in Monroe, 

 people in the rural communities come togeth- body of the senate is far too conversant with Berrien, Cass, Van Buren and Livingstone 

 er in their schoolhouses on Arbor Day and state needs and popular sentiment to take any counties, where he has induced a large num- 

 form an organization with the school as the steps backward in the general policy of con- ber of farmers to reforest the waste places on 

 center and meeting place, for the purpose of servation of the state's timber resources. In their farms. The farmers are greatly interest- 

 developing and making better the general life assuming this attitude, Foster can be consid- e d in the plan, it being the greatest desire of 

 of the community. It is to be hoped that our ered in no other light than a reactionary, who many to have an abundance of fence posts on 

 state will be among the pioneers in this great utterly fails to comprehend the urgent neces- their farms. Many farmers who have 

 movement, and I commend to the considera- sity for the country, as a whole, taking thought waste places on their farms or who ha\ < 

 tion of the people the suggestions and the of the morrow on the question of the conser- woodlots, are planting a portion of their culti- 

 program which has been prepared by the vation of its natural resources. nated fields with locust seedlings or other good 

 State Superintendent of Public Instruction. We have no doubt he reflects some local fence-post producing trees. By following tin 



opinion when he makes the statement upon p l an submitted by the college department, an 



The Arbor Day committee of the Board of the floor of the senate that the forest reserve average of 800 posts to the acre may be real 



Trade of Grand Rapids has decided on the in Roscommon county is a flat failure, but he ; ze d every ten years. The posts are alv 



method of distributing the 20,000 spirea or- ought to take more than a local and purely worth from 15 to 25 cents apiece and if the 



dered from France for Arbor Day, April 30. sectional view of_the matter. Perhaps he is farmer does not need to. use them, they can 



It was decided to distribute the spirea in the right altogether in saying that to date the fj nc i a ready market. Many farmers prefer 



city schools and factories at five cents a bush, reserve is not a success. If he is right in this timber to fence posts and these are planting 



pretty well grown bushes being furnished. Ten it is because the legislature has failed to give seedlings of the best pines, spruces and ] 



bushes will be given to each charitable institu- adequate protection against fire and provide ] ars . i n return for the seedlings, which are 



tion in the city applying for them, and ten adequate funds to make reforestation by the furnished at cost by the college forestry 



each to the five townships in the good roads state a success. partment, the farmer enters into an agreement 



district Plainfield, Walker, Wyoming, Paris Senator Foster would serve his state and to furnish the college with any desired infor- 



and Grand Rapids townships. C. N. Reming- indeed his district 'better, if he advocated a mation or statistics regarding the progress of 



ton will take pictures of the country schools forestry policy that would exclude every avail- his reforested lands. 



and churches before the planting of the spirea able acre of land suitable for agriculture from j 



and after they have grown other pictures will forest reserves, but insist at the same time, TREES CONTRIBUTE TO HAPPINESS. 

 he taken. Trees of various kinds from the that all land that is not suitable for farming T , . ]jf contributor to our com . 



Michigan Agricultural College will also be be put into a reserve for the growth of timber, c 



distributed no matter how great a percentage of any given m n furid of happiness. Have we estates? 



. county that may be. If nothing but trees can The tree adorns them. Have we changing 



THIS WILL HELP. be grown upon the land, it is obvious such a seasons? The tree proclaims them. Have 



Representative Guy A. Miller's bill in the g^J^^ ^e^gSfe ifjg " we floods? The tree stays them. Have J 



Michigan legislature, cutting the price of state > g f ^^slrable end' the fnSeaS dro.uths? The tree modifies then, Have 



land advertisements from 40 to 20 cents per ^ h Q{ ^ sute and ^ tectjon tempests? The tree abates their fury and 



description, which was railroaded through the frQm ruth]ess destruction of timber SU pp lies removes their sting. The desk at which I 



taxation committee in record time was in- future generations ._ Sault Ste . Marie ft ews write, the chair on which I sit, the floor be- 



tended merely as a check against the bill ot neath, the building, the rows of buildings, 



Senator Foster, introduced in the senate for R13riTTr TT~ T wrTCT ATTIWC TO TTIUTT? tlle cit y> tne multitude of cities, the whole 



the purpose of repealing the act creating the LEGISLATORS TO 1MB. land) attests the boundless bounty of tht 



forestry reserve and to abolish the state for- W. B. Mershon, of Saginaw, in his_talk to p or these gifts, gratitude. But the tree gi 



estry commission. the finance and appropriations committee of more, and merits more. It has the heart-hold 



Lurking behind the purpose of the Foster the senate of the Michigan legislature, told the o f lifelong companionship, not to be ignored, 



bill appearing on its title, however, there may senators he would refuse to longer serve on \yho has not truly loved 'some tree loved ii 



be the proposition of a personal interest, since the forestry commission if the senate did not f or itself, its memories, its associations; lo 



such an act would throw these lands back upon immediately pass the emergency appropriation' j t too we n to destroy 'it has not truly lived 



the market and would mean additional adver- bill for $1,500 to cover the deficiency due to The tree is childhood's tower and strongli 



tisement for the Gladwin Record, which is the expense of fighting recent forest fires and the tree ; s the cas tl e whose leafy para 1 



operated by Senator Foster's brother, and in protecting state property. shelter "love's young dream"; the tree is 



which it is claimed he was interested. He explained to the committee that it had WC ary labor's summer tent' upon the friendly 



been necessary to protect thousands of dollars tree that i< new ]r ; s childhood sports, age leans, 



Some Good May Come of This, worth of state property and the property of a c hji d aga j n , looking toward sunset ; 



In fixing the rate for the publication of private individuals, to expend all the ready at ] asti w ] len clust has returned to dusl 



delinquent tax lists at 20 cents per folio, in- money in the hands of the commission and if tree becomes a temple of memory thn 



stead of 40 cents, the legislature may be com- the S reat state of Michigan couldn t afford to whose arches come whispers and beckoning?, 



mended for having bestowed a blessing in take care of such a worthy matter he couldn't f rom the world beyond, 

 disguise, not only upon many of the news- a "^[" to serve longer._ Would you destroy that tree? 1 Span 



papers, but upon the future political welfare . Ik together with one of a similar vein trees for its sake. Or if this .seem to 



of the state as well. No newspaper of wide b y Charles W. Garfield, of Grand Rapids, had but idle sentiment, then spare all trees for the 



distribution will, of course, accept the tax the desired effect. The committee reported out sa k e of your children's children for the sake 



lists on the basis proposed, consequently they t : bill and it was speedily passed and given o f t h e human race. This is not sentiment; 



will either go begging or be distributed to immediate effect. this is but an act of justice. Through the 



some four corner's weekly. One result of T7 TTT ,ivTTCti T?A DTWITDO TX/TTTJ OTr-n-riT T T spoliations of our generation, stark want shall 



this action will eventually be an increased in- FURNIbH FARMERS WI. I SEEDLINGS, knock at countless doors in years to be. Spare 



dependence on the part of the press of the Between two and three hundred farmers in and repair! If each tree cut shall bring a 



state. It has always been demanded of papers the southern part of Michigan have been fur- curse to blight the days unborn, so each tree 



following the dominant political standard that nished with seedlings by the forestry depart- saved and each tree set shall mitigate the 



they endorse every candidate, principal and mcnt of the Michigan Agricultural College for penalty of our wrong. Spare and repair, thj 



idea that might be proposed by the bosses the purpose of reforesting their wood lots, the world may grow rich and beautiful 



and wire-pullers for the sake of the handful since the first of January. Most of the seed- trees, and that our despoiled trust fund 



of pottage distributed each year by the powers lings furnished are those of native forest trees, forests may be some day restored to all ma 



that 'be Perhaps many beneficiaries of this the white and red pine, Norway spruce, ash, kind, forever restored to its rightful bene 



system, who find themselves disconnected from Carolina poplar and the locust being in great- ciaries under the will of God. Charles 



the small profit resulting through the publi- est demand. Since the first of the year, 295,- Barnes, Battle Creek. 



