SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 15 



bureau reserves the right to accept or decline apphcations, as may be 

 deemed wise, with due regard to the objects for which the offer is made, and 

 the hmitations of the funds at their disposal for this work. 



It is hoped that by this means it will eventually be possible to have in every 

 county, and perhaps in every township, at least one woodlot which will be 

 handled in a correct way, and which will thus serve as an object lesson to the 

 farmers in its vicinity of the practicabiUty of woodlot forestry. A report on a 

 woodlot examined by the writer in St. Joseph county during the spring of 1904 

 is given in Michigan Forestry Report 1903-4, thai those interested may 

 have a clearer idea of the scope of the woodlot work carried on by the govern- 

 ment, and that all who read may get a forester's opinion of a very common 

 type of woodlot in southern Michigan. 



THE DUTY OF MICHIGAN. 



BY CHAS. W. GARFIELD. 



The immediate duty of the state of Michigan in connection with its land 

 holdings, it occurs to me, is to put this whole matter upon a business basis, 

 that is: the same basis a business man would use in handling a like area of 

 real estate as an investment. Michigan is not so desirous of securing im- 

 migrants as to offer such extraordinary inducements as has been the case for 

 years, to get them, to settle upon Michigan lands. Michigan does welcome 

 witliin her borders thrifty people who may be poor, but who desire to work 

 out a livelihood in a legitimate way. It can afford to make such men induce- 

 ments as to the method of payment in its land offers. 



Michigan is not land poor. It is not obliged to dispose of its holdings at a 

 sacrifice in order to throw the responsibility of taxation on the shoulders of 

 would-be purchasers with a total disregard of their character or ability to get 

 on in the world. The state has this immense area of lands that has come into 

 its hands for delinquent taxes. A business man under like circumstances, 

 would very carefully size up the situation put a fair price upon the lands it 

 seemed desirable to dispose of for the sake of getting thrifty settlers, then 

 utilize the remainder of the holdings in such a manner as to make them, as 

 rapidly as possible, grow more valuable. This sorting process our state has 

 never done. 



The state of Wisconsin, with an immense area of lands in a similar condi- 

 tion, has entered upon the sorting plan, with the idea of disposing of the lands 

 valuable for agricultural purposes to the farmer, and retaining the thinner 

 lands, not adapted to successful agriculture, to grow upon them forests for 

 the benefit of the state, and incidentally for the benefit of every inhabitant of 

 the state. This is a valuable step in progress, and one that Michigan could 

 well afford to take. It should retain vast holdings of lands (unsuited to agri- 

 culture) forever, and grow upon these landsforests, having in view the mainten- 

 ance of a diversity of indiistries supported by forest crops. This is a philoso- 

 phical way for the state to treat its landed investment. This plan recognizes 

 forestry as a branch of agriculture and has in view the maintenance of the 

 largest possible power of production from the land ; and it also recognizes the 

 principle of mixed husbandry as a most important one in connection with 

 agriculture. 



