FORESTRY COMMISSION. 119 



ing up the luatter of foieslry to welcome them and aid in the work of 

 education. 



Through tlic instrumentality of the ^Michigan Academy of f^cience, some 

 very valuable material was gathered at a session of that body Avhicli has 

 been printed in various newspapers and thus reached a very wide audi- 

 ence. The Retail Lumbermen's Association has made forestry a feature 

 of its annual meetings for the last two years, and adopted resolutions of 

 support in the interests of our commission. Dr. Clark of the Government 

 Bureau of Forestry, through the courtesy of the (Joverument Forester, 

 Mr. Pinchot, spent a number of weeks in giving advice concerning farm 

 wood lots, visiting a number of sections in the State, speaking to clubs, 

 business men's organizations and horticultural societies, and in truth, 

 giving counsel Avherever people were willing to welcome him and give 

 him an opportunity. Pie expressed himself as well pleased with the 

 interest manifested in ^Michigan, and on our i)art we feel that his work 

 was a splendid auxiliarj- 1o the labor of the commission. 



As yet, we have not accomplished very much in connection with the 

 machinery of our common school system. This is certainly an avenue 

 for accomplishing the very best results, if it can be utilized to the best 

 advantage. AVe hope through the Department of Public Instruction, in 

 the near future, to make some telling movements in this field. The most 

 willing and satisfactory agent in the campaign of education is the news- 

 paper, and not a journal in ^Michigan but that welcomes any new material 

 in the interests of reforestation and is willing to give it ]irominence and 

 editorial sanction. 



If the State, upon its own lines, takes hold in a vigorous way, utilizing 

 all the knowledge we have willi reference to reforestation in a commercial 

 way, we shall have no trouble in awakening a deep and active movement 

 on the part of all the people in this great question of statecraft. 



INTEREST OF SCIENTISTS IX FORESTRY. 



BY DR. W. .7. BEAL, AUIlIi.'rr.TnRAL CDh^.KCK. :MI('II. 



By all means capable persons should keep speaking and writing to the 

 people of ^Michigan concerning the importance of giving more attention 

 to the subject of forestry. It is best that these speakers should have 

 been trained in science, though many may be termed scientific and yet 

 know very little about forestry. It is very important that information 

 and advice should not be visionary, and that as far as it goes, it should 

 be available in planting and in the management of wood lands. 



The thinking people of the State have already been given a great deal 

 in the form of general advice, aud are now eager for something specific. 

 A man can certainly be appealed to, so far as his own land is concerned, 

 and if he become interested he should learn how to plant, what to plant, 

 where to plant, and how to take care of trees, and he may be expected 

 to awaken his neighbors to the need of such work. You can appeal to a 

 man to exert himself in behalf of good management of the State lands^ 

 and lands of the United States, and he may reasonably be expected to 



