50 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



tions. It is now possible to know and designate tlie lands 

 which can profitably be occupied only by forest growth ; 

 and it is now time to make every foot of land as productive 

 as it is capable of being made, — to make the State fully 

 civilized in all its outlying districts and corners. 



Next, there are indirect influences, which a large, neg- 

 lected, deteriorating area exercises. I am not much of a 

 believer in the importance of the influence of forest growth 

 on climate in a forest country, although unquestionably such 

 influence locally and in a limited degree exists. Moreover, 

 almost an^^ kind of forest growth, such as nature will estab- 

 lish in spite of man, unless kept off' b}^ fire, Avill satisfy the 

 requirement of the climatic factor. Even the beneficial in- 

 fluence of water flow, which is unquestionable, will be secured 

 by the natural reforestation, if not prevented by fire, and 

 soil washes following the fires. 



There will be, no doubt, more or less limited areas, which 

 have been so abused as to baftie unaided nature in her at- 

 tempts at reclothing them, yet these will be comparatively 

 small. But there is a moral influence which is at least as 

 important to the citizenship of the Commonwealth. Neglect 

 breeds neglect, carelessness induces indiflerence ; thriftless- 

 ness in our neighbor may sometimes stimulate by l)ad ex- 

 ample to increased activity and thrift on our part, but when 

 a whole community is slovenly, the character of the best is 

 endangered by contagion. 



We have ample examples of this baneful eff'ect of poor 

 surroundings on the morals and character of people. And, 

 if as yet the Massachusetts farmer has nowhere deteriorated 

 to the condition of what is known in the south as the " poor 

 white trash," there is a danger lurking in these neglected 

 woodland areas that mioht in time create such a class of 

 undesirable, if harmless, citizens. 



On moral, if not material grounds, then, the existence of 

 laro-e neo-lected areas is a matter in which the State or the 

 comnmnity must take an active interest, which it must 

 attempt to eradicate. 



The (juestion may arise, whether the State at large or the 

 towns should take care of this matt(>r, or how far private in- 



