33 



their annulment. Instead of abolishing these reservations, the 

 next administration added others. Ry that time public opinion had 

 changed, on a better understanding of the subject, and those who 

 had clamored loudest against Mr. Cleveland's act were heard 

 petitioning that yet other reserves be established. This was the 

 beginning of a system of national forests, and the whole people 

 believes in it to-day. 



About the same time the State of New York began purchasing 

 vast tracts of timber land in the Adirondack^ and Catskills, and 

 Pennsylvania soon after followed suit. This was the beginning of 

 State forests in this country. Massachusetts has no such vast 

 forest domains within her borders ; nevertheless, she is doing her 

 share in the application of the science at home, but in part for a 

 different purpose. 



That we may the better understand what we are doing as a nation 

 and as a State in this matter of forestry, let us examine briefly into 

 the reason for our doing it. Forestry is a science. So, too, is the 

 practice of electricity. The time was when few believed that any- 

 thing businesslike or commercial would develop from electricity. 

 It was regarded as a theoretical science pure and simple. To-day 

 vast capital is employed in promoting the many branches of the 

 electrical business. Forestry also is capable of being made a 

 profitable business. This has been sufficiently proven by the 

 experience of European countries and communities during the last 

 century. 



One of the reasons why we as a nation have not embarked upon 

 this enterprise earlier is that we have heretofore had an ample 

 stock of virgin timber to draw upon, and many other more pressing 

 problems to consider and dispose of. When our scientific men 

 called attention to the fact that we were using nearly twice as much 

 timber as our forests could possibly produce, provided even that 

 they were well stocked and skilfully managed (which they were 

 not), and that our farming and manufacturing interests would soon 

 begin to feel the effect of a denudation of the hills which sheltered 

 the source of their water powers, then we began to think deeply 

 and to act as well. 



Our great national timber tracts in the west are not to be held 

 as public pleasure grounds pure and simple, as some have sup- 

 posed. They are to be worked on a business basis, and their 

 mature growth harvested and marketed for the good of the nation. 

 Even if they fail for a time to do more than pay their own running 

 expenses, there will still remain a distinct profit to the nation, in 

 that the water powers rising in the midst of those forests will be 

 insured for all time to the use of the irrigated farms and to the 



