4i6 Proceedings o? the 



sea, saw the fresh Hmb of a tree floating in the ocean, 

 and they then thought land must be near, and they 

 determined they would pursue their course, and 

 America was discovered as a result of that incident. 



The president of this Association, our distinguished 

 Secretary of Agriculture, who is the most modest man 

 that was ever sent to Washington from Iowa, is a 

 man who also "does things," and the greatest guaranty 

 and the best earnest that we can have of the future of 

 the forestry work, is that Secretary Wilson is at the 

 head of it. The department of which Secretary Wilson 

 is the head, we must not overlook the fact, is the one 

 department of the Government that produces things. 

 Every other department of this Government is a matter 

 of expenditure; Army, Navy, Interior, Post Office, 

 Commerce and Labor, and the Treasury Department. 

 All of these departments are departments that require 

 enormous expenditures. The Department of Agricul- 

 ture is the department that has done more than any 

 other department in the United States to increase the 

 wealth of the United States. Friends in Wall Street 

 say "Secretary Wilson is the greatest bull factor on 

 the whole financial horizon." 



He has recently made a statement that the value of 

 the products of the soil in the United States the past 

 year is four billion, nine hundred million dollars — 

 four hundred millions dollars greater than they were 

 one year ago, and they say a shrinkage in securities 

 in Wall Street, from one to two billions of dollars, does 

 not amount to anything serious when the actual wealth 

 of the country is increased four billion, nine hundred 

 million dollars. 



Secretary Wilson is going to hold himself responsi- 

 ble for the future of the work of this Association ; also 

 his associate, Mr. Pinchot. We all delight to give 



