prospect to civilized man. To busy men with their great amount 

 of necessary work to be done these things are often overlooked, 

 but for all that their importance is not less real. 



Attractive homes constitute an active and potent force in 

 shaping and determining the character of society and its mem- 

 bers and after all there is nothing important but that. 



There are certain elements in people that are accepted as 

 evidences of civilization. These are established for the most 

 part during the period of childhood and youth. Nothing on earth 

 can take the place of a high state of civilization and they make but 

 a poor bargain who sacrifice the possibility of it for wealth or 

 acres. 



To rear a generation amid surroundings that because of their 

 dreariness and monotony depress and stultify the mind and imagi- 

 nation instead of quickening and enlivening it, is neither wise 

 nor patriotic. It is not enough to say that we don't intend to 

 do so. It is our duty and privilege to see that we do not. ThJe 

 individual experiences of the most of us bear testimony to the 

 fact that no memories are more vivid or fondly cherished than 

 those of the trees that once offered us protection and company. 

 We feel somehow that their influence was good. Until human 

 nature becomes something different than it is they will continue 

 to exercise a most potent influence on the character of man. 



Nations live or die with their forests, as the records of the 

 world testify. Forests are the one great conserving element in 

 nature. The winds and waters are constantly wasting and wear- 

 ing away the fertile elements of the soil and hurrying them on 

 to the sea, beyond the reach of man forever. By this process, 

 long continued, whole continents have been made desolate and 

 barren beyond reasonable hope of redemption and even within the 

 memory of living man large areas have been rendered useless 

 through the same causes. 



Aside from the secondary value of forests in preventing the 

 waste and destruction of cultivated areas, the time has come when 

 the forests themselves have a high money value. It is possible 

 to grow five cords of wood per acre each year for an indefinite per- 

 iod upon millions of acres of our lands. With the present high 

 price of timber, and that constantly increasing, this prospect alone 

 should be an inviting one to the far sighted man. 



Trees are grown for three purposes, for shelter, for orna- 

 ment and for their timber or fuel value. About forty species can 

 be grown in North Dakota, Among these are the white ash, 

 white elm, red elm, rock elm, box elder, solf maple, hard maple, 



