The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 15 



New Orleans is situated at the very door of this great industry 

 and its effect upon the city's growth has been very marked. 



For years we have been l)enefited by the millions invested in 

 this work and the returns from the product. How are we going 

 to preserve this activity so vital to the welfare of this city and to 

 other Southern cities? The South has not yet reached that stage 

 of a manufacturing locality where capital and labor ending its use- 

 fulness in one industry can be converted into another. We must 

 endeavor to take care of this by utilizing the lands that have been 

 cut over ; making it possible to create productive farms throughout 

 the now barren land. The problems solved at this conference and 

 the work of any organization effected to carry them out are the 

 greatest steps taken to this end and should receive the support of 

 all commercial organizations. 



Practical Reforestation 



Paper prepared by Henry S. Graves, Chief Forester, 



U. S. Forest Service, and read by E. S. 



Bryant of the U. S. Forest Service, 



representing Mr. Graves 



The undertaking: which vou have called this meeting- to con- I J^d^^foking 

 . , . , , ". , ,. . . , Worthy of 



sider IS one of very far reachmg public importance; it command."^ Active Public 



the interest of the whole public and should have its active sup- Support 

 port. The movement you have initiated is peculiarly significant 

 of a new spirit in the country and it points in the direction of a 

 virtual reconstitution of the industrial organization of the country. 

 Our history' has been largely that of opening up and ex- 

 ploiting virgin resources. In a considerable part of the country 

 our industries might be likened to placer-mining that gathers by 

 rough and ready methods the gold accumulated in the surface 

 wash. In many respects we are only beginning to emerge from 

 conditions of primitive development, so far as both industrial and 

 political organization is concerned. 



Politically we are still a nation of small j)olitical units, each 

 preoccupied with its individual ])roblems and each working in 

 large part independently of and often in competition with its 



