INTRODUCTION. Xx1x 
estry, and awakened an interest among the people in the 
subject of tree-growing. The newspapers were slow to 
advocate it, but at last, when the New York World led 
off, it was followed by hundreds of papers all over the 
country. 
The pioneer state in the great work of forest-tree plant- 
ing was Nebraska, and this state, once called “the tree- 
less state,” is now nearly covered over with young for- 
ests. It will soon be as well timbered as any state from 
Maine to California. Last year the Nebraskians set out 
fifteen millions of forest-trees, this year eighteen mill- 
ions, and next year they will plant over twenty millions. 
Such enormous plantings cannot but be productive of 
great results to the state, and already a change has taken 
place in the climate and rainfall. Mr. J. Sterling Morton 
invented what he called “ Arbor Day,” and had it legal- 
ized asa holiday. Every year, about the middle of April, 
the governor of the state issues a proclamation announc- 
ing the day, and on its recurrence the entire population 
cease from their labor and engage in planting trees. This 
custom is not new. The Germans have a pretty habit 
of each member of a family living in the rural districts 
planting a tree at Wissuntide, which comes forty days 
after Easter. Also at early dawn on the same day their 
singing societies march to the top of the nearest hill or 
mountain, and hail the rising sun with songs and pans 
of praise for the glory of its warmth and blessing to 
Ceres and Flora. The old Mexican Indians also plant 
trees on certain days of the year when the moon is full, 
and name them after their children. The Aztecs used 
to plant a tree every time a child was born, and it bore 
the name of the child. In the State of Nebraska the 
governor each year offers a large reward to the family 
