18 PRACTICAL FORESTRY 
for the good of the community and of posterity. 
Some day men may have the same interest in the 
landscape in general that they have in ornamenting 
their own homes. At any rate a very large propor- 
tion of our forests are destined to remain in private 
hands. The Government will be doing a very great 
deal, and infinitely more than it does at present, when 
it properly protects a man’s person and property from 
the carelessness and maliciousness of others, when it 
taxes property in a fair manner, when it owns and 
controls those forests necessary for protective pur- 
poses, and when it gives to its people all the infor- 
mation, gratis, they may desire in reference to the 
management of their lands. The ill treatment of 
forest land is due very often to ignorance. In many 
cases the owner of the land knows no better. There 
is no more reason why a farmer should knowingly ill- 
treat or neglect his woods than his corn-field. Farm- 
ers in many parts of this country to-day could and 
would grow’ loeust, poplar, chestnut, spruce, and 
other trees with profit if they knew how. The Bu- 
reau of Forestry at Washington is doing good work 
in encouraging individual efforts in this lime. Every 
State, in fact, should have a division of forestry to 
investigate, experiment, inform, and advise all those 
who are in need of help. Merchantable white pine 
has grown in Pennsylvania on poor soil without man’s 
