FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 67 



the country would add great beauty to the scene as well as comfort to the 

 traveler. There seems to be every reason why it would be profitable to 

 protect the roads by planting trees. 



An investigation of many tracts of woodland on the farms of the State 

 has convinced our foresters that very great improvement can be made by 

 proper thinning and underplanting with trees adapted to the various soil 

 conditions in the State. Every farmer, especially those who have on their 

 farms land not particularly adapted to agricultural purposes might have 

 commercial trees growing, adding to the value of the lot and to the farm 

 generally, and in time furnish each farmer with all the timber the farm 

 requires. If the thousands of farms throughout the State had such forests 

 growing on them it would add greatly to their value and the beauty of the 

 country and would affect, in some degree, if properly planted, the water in 

 the spring or creek on each individual farm. 



Tree planting in fact should be largely done by the individual citizens 

 of the State upon their own lands, and if each would plant a few hundred 

 trees annually, the value of farms would be greatly enhanced and in a few 

 years there would be enough commercial trees growing in the State to 

 substantially take care of future demands. We ought to be able in this 

 State to produce every year for all time at least two billion feet board measure 

 which by studying economy and using all parts of the wood, would undoubt- 

 edly be sufficient to care for the needs of the people in that direction until 

 the population is very much larger than it is to-day. 



We also believe that the rudiments of forestry should be taught in 

 every school of the State, and that a forestry school, such as the Cornell 

 Forestry School formerly was, should be established and supported by the 

 State. There is a growing demand for educated foresters, and there is 

 opportunity for employment for many more than we have to-day providing 

 they are in all respects capable, practical men. 



Intimately connected with the forests and to a large degree depending 

 upon them is much of our inland water. As heretofore suggested, great 

 consideration should be given to the protection of the forests that we have 

 and to the reforesting of our denuded hill lands, because of the great necessity 

 for protection of the sources of water. We have been experiencing a most 

 remarkable period of low water in the rivers, the drying up of wells and 



