
Oo 
of climatic and industrial importance, to keep them under the control of 
the Government. There are in the older States perhaps few such lands 
of any considerable extent, but such as there are should be retained 
in publie possession and managed in the interest of the whole. 
As tothe lands which have passed into private possession it is more 
difficult to do anything, and I think that better results can be achieved 
by adopting a line of action, which I shall outline presently, than in 
trying to restrict or control lands which have finally passed over into 
private possession. 
To insure the most complete suecess in this work of protecting and 
promoting the growth of forests it will be necessary to have hearty co- 
operation between the State and national governments. A word,there- 
fore, may not be out of place in this connection as to what the State 
governments may properly do in this direction, though they can accom- 
plish but little unless the Federal Government does its part. 
One of the first and most important measures which the individual 
States may wisely adopt is to take some steps which will attract public 
attention to the vast importance of the matter, and which will interest 
the great mass of the people in some active work of their own in con- 
nection with the subject. This can be done, I think, by some general 
plan of, encouraging tree planting on the part of our farmers. To do 
this in any satisfactory way it is necessary to devise some method of 
reaching the great mass of people and fixing their attention, if it be 
only for a short time. This, I think, can be secured by the establish- 
ment in the proper manner of a State holiday, to be called Arbor Day, 
and insisting, so far as possible, on its general observance by all the 
people in the State. Bunt this of itself would not be enough. Men 
must be provided whose business it should be to make a thorough study 
of the subject of forestry in general and the business of tree planting 
in particular; as to the kind of trees it would pay best to plant in each 
locality, the methods of culture, the influence of trees on the farm, ete., 
and who should go to agricultural fairs and farmers’ meetings, and im- 
part the instruction which the average farmer is wofully in need of. 
They should also go into the teachers’ institutes, especially in the rural 
districts, and try to interest the teachers in a matter which they would 
have rare opportunities to urge upon their pupils, who will shortly be 
the controlling element in the State. Means of publication should, of 
course, be amply provided, so that they could reach with their publica- 
tions and lectures every farmer in the State. These lecturers should 
make it a special point to show how a wood-lot or even isolated trees 
may be utilized so as to return the largest yield to the farmer. 
The State would find it for its interest, also, to establish nurseries 
where seeds of trees or young trees could be obtained at a nominal 
price, or for nothing, as experience might demonstrate to be the best 
plan. Premiums also should be offered for the best groves or groups, 
or samples of trees of various kinds, for the best utilization of tree pro- 
24738—Bull 2 3 


