How to Have the Birds 311 



"It is in the Middle West that the greatest destruction of 

 the primitive forest has taken place. In Forest and Garden, 

 Volume 8, page 101, is a, very interesting article upon the for- 

 ests of the Wabash valley, and in which the thought of Mr. 

 Muir is verified, that is, that they were of the finest of the 

 world. Today Indiana is almost an open, treeless prairie. In 

 but few places are there any primitive forests to be found. 

 Nor is there much that can be done by the State in regard 

 to preservation for the reason that there are no forest lands 

 owned by the State to set apart for that purpose. What, then, 

 is there that can be done? 



"In my judgment the State of New York has made a wrong 

 beginning in solving the problem, and that the work ought to 

 begin with our common schools. Why may not every school- 

 house ground be made an arboretum and ornithological 

 garden, where the pupils may have under their eyes continu- 

 ally specimens of all the trees and birds to be found in our State, 

 and where agriculture, horticulture and gardening may be 

 taught? 



"My thought is, that there ought to be at least one graded 

 or finishing school in each township in this State ; that it 

 ought to be located on from twenty to forty acres of land to 

 be owned by the township for school purposes ; that, when 

 possible, forest lands should be purchased for this purpose ; 

 that not less than one-half of each tract purchased ought to 

 be preserved as a forest, and if not a forest, it ought to be 

 planted in forest trees ; and that the other or remaining one- 

 half ought to be used in teaching agriculture, horticulture and 

 gardening. By this means, at least twenty thousand acres of 

 land would be dedicated to these purposes ; we would have 

 all the desirable advantages to be obtained by the scheme of 

 our excellent Superintendent, the opportunity to carry into 

 effect the good suggestion of our progressive Governor, our 

 country schools made equal to our city schools, and there 

 would be no reason why the children of our farmers should 

 leave their homes to obtain a higher and better education. 

 The plan I have suggested would be an ideal one for the 

 birds, for it is true that most of them love forest areas better 

 than they do large tracts of dense woodland. 



