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little by little, and thus the springs are ever fall, and they feed 

 the clear mountain streams which unite to fill the broad river. 



Strip the hills of the forests, and the rains which fall there 

 quickly form torrents which rush down the water-courses, bearing 

 the soil, and the sand, and the gravel, and the boulders, and ev- 

 erything before them, and swelling the rivers so that they in 

 turn carry destruction along their course. Thus the wa- 

 ter soon disappears from the hills, and these are soon dry and 

 mostly barren, and the water-courses are soon only a dry and 

 rocky bed, so to remain till there comes another rainfall. 



In this great work of the preservation and increase of the for- 

 ests, none have a greater opportunity, or a greater responsibility, 

 than the farmer. If he would do what is best for his own inter- 

 ests, and best for the State, he would not allow another forest to 

 be destroyed, where he has the power to preserve it. 



Yes, we must all interest ourselves in this great matter of the 

 preservation and increase of the forests. The time has come 

 when no more forests should be destroyed, and when many that 

 have been destroyed should be replaced. 



In every fore'st, trees should be judiciously selected for cutting ; 

 and as fast as one is removed, another should be planted in its 

 place. And all the areas in our State, and in other States, not 

 suited or needed for agricultural purposes or for grazing, should 

 be planted with such trees as they are best adapted to nourish 

 and mature. 



There are vast areas in almost every State, which are of little 

 or no value except for forests. Massachusetts has, to-day, tens 

 of thousands of acres of just such areas — -every rod of which 

 should be planted with trees during the next two years. And 

 yet, while we have such a scarcity of woodland, we are not only 

 not planting forests to any considerable extent, but we are cutting 

 down whole forests, and laying bare our hillsides, and our moun- 

 tains, as though there would be no need of forests in the future. 



And here let me say, gentlemen, that the destruction of forests 

 now going on in Berkshire County will be sure to bring sad re- 

 sults in the not far distant future. Not only will our streams be 

 dry the greater part of the year ; but the soil will be washed from 



