Common Trees 



On the other side of the picture there are four million 

 acres in "slacker" or idle lands which should be planted 

 with growing forests. Agricultural economists tell us that 

 we have abandoned farm lands from 1880 to 1920 at the 

 rate of 100,000 acres per annum. From 1920 to 1927 the 

 rate of abandonment was 260,000 acres per annum. This 

 means that it does not pay to farm some of the land 

 that was cleared by the early settlers. This also means that 

 these idle lands should be growing trees — should be made 

 productive so that the economic welfare and prosperity of 

 the State be continued into the future — also that the beauty 

 of the landscape and our hillsides may be preserved. 



The Conservation Commission at Albany a long time 

 ago saw the future of forestry in New York State, and began 

 the policy of growing and selling little trees at cost to the 

 people of the State to plant on these idle acres. A few years 

 ago they distributed them in great numbers — as many as 

 10.000,000 in a single year. Now in 1927 there are 

 30,000,000 little trees available for the schools, Boy Scouts, 

 villages, counties, lumber companies and others to plant on 

 these idle acres. There is not a county in the State that has 

 not thousands of acres of land that should be planted, out- 

 side of the crowded metropolitan centers. There were in 

 1926 in this State's tree nurseries 90,000,000 little trees that 

 will be available for planting in the future. These are white 

 pine, Norway or red pine, European and American larch, 

 Norway spruce, Scotch pine, white cedar and balsam fir. 

 Many schools and Boy Scout organizations have enlarged the 

 Arbor Day idea from planting one or two trees, etc., about the 

 school grounds to planting several thousand trees on some 

 idle land about the villages or along the streets or in vacant 

 lots, to make a more pleasing picture for passing motorists, 

 to provide welcome shade in the hot summer days, and to 

 perhaps grow Christmas trees or much needed wood or 

 lumber. 



Two husky young boys can often plant from eight hun- 

 dred to a thousand trees in a single day. Many schools in Ot- 

 sego, Chenango, Albany, Onondaga and other counties have 

 already done splendid work in planting trees. Every school 

 in the State should help in this great conservation move- 

 ment. The boys and girls will grow up with the trees and 

 understand and appreciate what the forestry movement means 

 to the welfare of the people of the State. It is something 

 that young and old alike can do. 



Let everybody help to plant more trees! 



