of climatic and iiuUistrial 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 public possession and managed in the interest of the whole. 



As to the lands which have passed into i)rivate possession it is more 

 difficult to do auy thing, and I think that better results can be achieved 

 b}^ adoj)ting 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 success 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- 

 X)lish 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 

 peoi)le in the State. But 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, etc., 

 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, esT)ecially 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 

 w^here seeds of trees or young trees could be obtained at a nominal 

 ])rice, or for nothing, as experience might demonstrate to be the best 

 plan. Premiums also should be offered for the best groves or groups, 

 m samples of trees of various kinds, for the |)ast utUiz>atioil Of tree prO' 

 :2473-8— Bull 2—3 



