If I were to stop there, I should certainly do injustice to Illinois. Be- 

 cause there are some things that we have done which ought to be brought to 

 your attention. These things, to my mind are hopeful, especially in view of 

 the prevailing sentiment that the three states along the Ohio river have 

 more or less common interests. 



When I was appointed to my present position, I had no idea what I was 

 expected to do. I found among other things that there was to be a Board 

 of Natural Resources and Conservation. That title appealed to me. It 

 had vision, and seemed to imply that the state expected that something was 

 going to be done in conservation line. I studied the make-up of that board. 

 There was an expert in geology to co-operate with the state in the geological 

 survey. There was an expert in natural history. There were experts in 

 chemistry and sanitation. There was an expert in forestry. 



The next question came as to whether Illinois had accomplished any- 

 thing along the lines of forest preservation. It was found that in May, 

 1893, Mr. G. W. McCluer in connection with Professor T. J. Burrill of the 

 University of Illinois made a report on forestry in Illinois. This is an 

 extremely interesting document. In a general way he showed that there 

 are eighty species of forest trees in Illinois besides many large shrubs. 

 The first appropriation for forestry was made on March 11, 1869, one 

 thousand dollars being set aside for trees and seeds. Experimental plant- 

 ing was begun by the University of Illinois in the spring of 1871. This 

 report is found in Bulletin 26 of the Agricultural Experiment Station at 

 Champaign. Its general conclusions are that the land in Illinois which 

 was fit for wheat and corn was too valuable to be used for forest trees; 

 that well timbered land sold at a less price per acre than adjoining lands 

 that had been cleared or than prairie land of the same productiveness. The 

 value of the timber was less than the cost of clearing and bringing under 

 cultivation. The report continued, that, apart from economic views, the 

 planting of trees had higher and other claims for consideration. These in- 

 cluded the equalization of temperature, the better distribution of moisture, 

 better sustaining the running streams and minimizing and reducing the 

 danger of destructive floods, the checking of heavy winds, the better pro- 

 tection of the crops from the destructive influence of air moving too rap- 

 idly, and the aesthetic value of trees used as ornaments. 



On May 5, 1903, a resolution was adopted in the state legislature lament- 

 ing the diminishing of the forest area of Illinois and asking that the De- 

 partment of Agriculture of the United States of America be requested to 

 make an investigation as to the condition of the forests and to make rec- 

 ommendations for preserving what remained and for encouraging the prop- 

 agation, growth and protection of forests in general within the state. 



In 1910 another study was made in co-operation with Mr. Peters by 

 two representatives of the forest service, this report being published in 

 1911 under the title "Forest Conditions in Illinois." The survey which 

 was made was thorough so far as it went. The report shows what various 

 kinds of trees were to be found in Illinois and it was illustrated by photo- 

 graphs which brought out many points of interest. 



Nothing else seems to have been done until the adoption of the Civil 

 Administrative Code. This provided for a Board of Natural Resources and 



