578 REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



to it lies in the fact that it furnishes a desirable home for certain 

 noxious caterpillars. 



The tulip poplar, in certain parts of the State, notably in some of the 

 southern counties, is gaining a foothold among the more common sec- 

 ond-growth forms. Its extreme susceptibility to injury, especially in 

 the sapling stage, makes it of doubtful promise in extended replant- 

 ings. Where, however, the area to be replanted is small, and some care 

 could be given from year to year to the young trees, it would in all 

 probability prove thoroughly satisfactory. 



While the conservation and proper distribution of the water of the 

 soil might be accomplished by simply fencing in the waste tracts and 

 giving plants of various kinds an opportunity to gain a foothold, it 

 would seem the part of wisdom, if it were possible, by a little labor 

 and thought, to add, at the same time, to the permanent value of the 

 land. That this end can be accomplished is sufficiently proven by the 

 results that have followed the efforts of the National Forestry Com- 

 mission in various parts of the country. The paragraphs just preced- 

 ing are merely suggestions as to reforestation possibilities. If the 

 work is undertaken upon any extensive scale, detailed instructions, as 

 well as valuable assistance, can be obtained from the Chief of the 

 Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture. 



The reclamation of these waste and wasting areas, a reclamation 

 which is possible at a slight expenditure of time and labor, would add 

 greatly to the wealth of the State, even within the lifetime of a single 

 generation. The successful manufacturer seeks to utilize every by- 

 product; such utilization is to-day a condition- of success. The land- 

 owners of Indiana can not afford to leave without an effort at their 

 redemption the thousands upon thousands of acres of waste lands 

 which disfigure the State. 



POISONOUS PLANTS. 



Plants which may be characterized as poisonous are of two general 

 classes, those which poison by contact and those which are poisonous 

 only when taken into the system. Those of the first class may be 

 again divided into those in which the poisoning is due to some plant 

 constituent and those in which the irritation is due to mechanical 

 causes. These latter cases are sometimes scarcely separable from the 

 former, both factors co-operating in producing the inflammation, but, 

 as a rule, they are easily distinguishable. It must be borne in mind 

 that liability to plant poisoning depends largely upon the thickness of 

 the skin, and largely, also, upon personal idiosyncrasy. Plants per- 



