410 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



seedling plants was so great that many went away disap- 

 pointed because they were unable to plant trees with 

 their own hands." 



Small cypresses were planted by the President and 

 by all the members of his cabinet with the exception of 

 Minister Wu Ting-fang. Other high officials of the 

 government followed his example. After the ceremonies 

 citizens and school children 

 planted all the trees that 

 had been provided for 

 the occasion. 



Since Mr. Sherfesee's 

 letter was written internal 

 troubles have arisen in 

 China. Imperialists have 

 overthrown the govern- 

 ment and have been in 

 turn assailed by the Re- 

 publicans. 



One of the most im- 

 portant examples of the 

 Chinese interest in forestry 

 matters is afforded by the 

 success of the Colonization 

 Association in its work on 

 Purple Mountain. This 

 association was the out- 

 growth of relief work 

 undertaken in 1911 by Dr. 

 Joseph Bailie, Instructor 

 in Forestry at the Univer- 

 sity of Nanking. The 

 organization owns 1000 

 acres of land on the north- 

 west slope of the moun- 

 tain, and this property en- 

 ables it to carry out its 

 plan of providing work for 



the poor and at the same time give the workers the 

 benefit of the fruits of their industry. The men have been 

 employed in digging canals, removing stones, making 

 roads, levelling uneven places and converting a waste 

 area into an orchard and plantation of mulberries. 

 Much opposition was experienced during the early 

 stages of the work, but this has been replaced by com- 

 plete confidence and cooperation. Undertaken as a 

 means of giving succor to sufferers from famine, the 

 association has proved the soundness of its plans and 

 has put to profitable use large areas hitherto idle. It 

 has given temporary employment to thousands, and 

 many families now gain a permanent and comfortable 

 livelihood on land which otherwise would have re- 

 mained indefinitely unproductive. It has resulted in 

 the establishment of a comprehensive course in forestry 

 at the University of Nanking and has served to arouse 

 interest in other and possibly larger projects of refor- 

 estration throughout the republic. Under date of May 

 20, Dr. Bailie writes from the University : 



" I made a trip to Lai-an Colony, where we have over 

 80 families, numbering over 400 people, now independent. 

 The object of my visit was to establish a nursery for our 



ARBOR DAY IN CHINA 



President Li Yuan-hung (indicated by a cross at the foot of the steps towards 

 the right) and his party leaving the Chai Kung on his way to perform the tree- 

 planting ceremony on Arbor Day in China. This temple is situated within the 

 enclosure of the Temple of Heaven, Peking, and it was here that the Chinese 

 Emperors used to fast before proceeding to the Altar of Heaven to offer sacrifice. 



Colony to enable the colonists to plant trees on those 

 lands that are too steep or too stony for cultivation. I 

 had also hopes to be able to extend the Colony. In this 

 latter object I was foiled. When we took the 80 families 

 refugees from the farmers for whom they were work- 

 ing in 1914 and put them on the mountain, wages for the 

 next harvest doubled, and have never gone down 



below a living wage. The 

 farmers contended that if 

 we open another mountain 

 wages will go up again. We 

 have proved that if the 

 lands are thrown open the 

 poor can maintain them- 

 selves even if the lands are 

 second or third rate. 



" We were successful 

 in opening our nursery. 

 The official had heard that 

 I was going up to start it, 

 and he requested me to 

 bring some trees and seeds 

 along for him as he also 

 wanted to open a nursery. 

 In two of the pictures which 

 I send along the bundles of 

 nursery stock are seen out- 

 side of Mr. Best's gate. 

 We sent up from our Uni- 

 versity nursery robinias, 

 melia azederach, maple, 

 pines, thunbergii, sophora 

 japonica, pistachio chinen- 

 sis, gleditsia and ginkgo 

 biloba, besides a few of the 

 other species. 



" The official after some 

 conferences arranged to 

 have a meeting at Lo-an temple, which is the adminis- 

 trative centre for our Colony and is distant from Lai-an 

 about eight miles. Though the temple belongs to the 

 association, he invited us all as his guests, and provided 

 a horse for Mr. Best and a chair for me. He himself 

 went ahead in a chair. After some deliberation on the 

 spot it was decided that the official cooperate with our 

 association and that he give half of the expense and the 

 association give half. Mr. Yu, who is the caretaker at 

 Lo-an temple, and the manager among the colonists 

 under Mr. Best, has done such good work that he is 

 made the head of the nursery, and the official has been 

 much pleased by his management for over two years. 



" A photographer took a number of pictures on this 

 trip and I send you several of them. You will see how 

 squalid a place Lai-an is and the self-denial involved for 

 Mr. and Mrs. Best in making it their home instead of 

 remaining in civilization. It is simply like going into 

 heaven to get into Mr. Best's mission compound after 

 being out in the filth and destitution of this walled village 

 called a city." 



Acknowledging a copy of the constitution and by-laws 



