848 
STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
TIMBER GROWING. 
Prom a Lecture delivered at the Illinois Industrial University, January, 1869, and 
published in the Report of the Board of Trustees, 
BY O. B. GALUSHA, OP ILLINOIS. 
The influence of forest trees upon the atmosphere, in puri¬ 
fying it by absorbing noxious gases, in equalizing its degrees 
of humidity, in softening the asperities of its temperature, in 
checking the force of its violent gales, so often destructive to 
growing crops and injurious to domestic animals, and thus se¬ 
curing a carpet of snow in winter to protect the roots of plants 
from the damaging effects of sever frost, are facts upon which 
nearly all men of science and observation are agreed ; and cer¬ 
tainly they are facts of so great importance that thy should com¬ 
mand the immediate attention of all dwellers upon the great 
western prairies. It does not come within the province of an 
essay upon “ timber growing ” to explain the principles in 
meteorology, electricity, chemistry and vegetable physiology, 
which operate to produce these important results. These sub¬ 
jects have been ably treated in other papers; yet, we may and 
should consider the effects of these causes, inasmuch as they 
indicate to us the path of duty or economy in the direction of 
forest tree culture. 
Foreign nations accuse the “ universal Yankee nation ” of 
being “ slaves to the almighty dollar.” That the American 
people are impatient of results, is a fact of every day’s obser¬ 
vation ; and this, perhaps, justifies, in a measure at least, the 
opinion which the citizens of the old world entertain of us. 
The consideration of profit to ourselves, instead of benefit to 
posterity, or ultimate good to the nation, has ever been too 
prominent among our incentives to action. But the time has 
