INTRODUCTION xiii 



year as ' tree-planting day. ' There were some mem- 

 bers of the board who contended for the name 

 1 Sylvan Day,' but Mr. Morton talked them out of 

 this title. The resolution as finally adopted recom- 

 mended that the people throughout the state plant 

 trees on the day named, and offered, in the name 

 of the board, a prize of one hundred dollars to the 

 agricultural society of that county which should 

 plant properly the largest number of trees. To the 

 person planting the largest number of trees a farm 

 library worth twenty-five dollars was offered. The 

 board requested the newspapers to keep this reso- 

 lution before their readers, and the newspapers 

 responded so generously that more than one million 

 trees were planted throughout Nebraska on the 

 first Arbor Day. 



"Next year the day was observed with increased 

 interest, and in 1874 the governor officially pro- 

 claimed the second Wednesday of April as Arbor 

 Day for Nebraska. The day was named thus 

 by proclamation until 1885, when the legislature 

 designated April 22d as Arbor Day and a holiday. 

 Since that time a provision has been inserted in the 

 Constitution of Nebraska declaring that 'the in- 

 creased value of lands, by reason of live fences, fruit 

 and forest trees grown and cultivated thereon, shall 

 not be taken into account in the assessment thereof.' 

 In addition to this, Nebraska has enacted many 

 statutory provisions touching upon the planting 



