'Cbe Conservative.
of Agriculture to bo used in the scien
tific study of forestry mid irrigation. "
PROFESSOR EMORY : "The point I
want to emphasize is that we are not
satisfied in the creation of this reserve
to have it handled as other reserves are
handled , from the fact that it is a small
tract of laud upon which wo desire to
use the veiy best effort of our institu
tion along two lines : first , the conserva
tion of this timber , using it as a class
room , so to speak , for students in fores
try ; also for the study of irrigation.
This same resolution was adopted by the
Irrigation Congress. Congress adjourned
last week. "
The resolution was unanimously
adopted.
The next thing on the program was a
paper by Hon. R. W. Furiias , entitled
' 'Progress and Effects of Forest Grow
ing. "
After the reading of this paper Mr.
E. F. Stephens , of Crete , Neb. , read a
paper on "Tree Planting in Nebraska. "
Motion made , seconded and carried
that we adjourn until tomorrow , the
10th , at 10:00 : o'clock.
September 10. Meeting called to or
der at 10:20. : Prof. Lawrence Bruner ,
of the State University of Nebraska ,
made on address on "The Relationship
of Insects to Forestry. "
The next paper was read by Mr.
Henry Michelseu , the subject of which
was "Forests in Their Relation to Irri
gation. "
DR. MILLER : "I would like to ask if
it is practicable or possible for our coun
try as a nation to undertake to reforest-
ize the country ? "
MR. NEWELL : "This suggests the
thought that in the public forest reserves
which ore now being made and extended ,
the government has been criticised for
having included so many tracts that the
people say has not a tree on it ; but they
do not look at the fact behind that , that
this land which has been reserved was
reserved because it was valuable for
nothing else neither agriculture nor
mining and it is capable of producing
trees , and this laud is the most essential
laud left at the head-waterwhich should
be preserved in order that the trees may
have n chance to grow. As to what
course would be feasible has not yet been
determined , but we have attempted to
make the first step and that is to set
it aside. As to reafforesting the plains ,
congress will do just what the people
tell them they must do. "
Mr. Wm. T. Little presented the
following resolution :
"The greatest body of arable land in
the known world , and particularly in
the United States , is the eastern Rocky
mountain slope extending from Mexican
to British domain. Portions of this
section , in addition to being within the
sub-humid belt , are swept by winds of
such velocity and constancy as to make
cereal farming without irrigation an un
satisfactory occupation.
"WHEREAS , This association believes
1I I
a proper series of wind-breaks would so
regulate surface air currents as to ma
terially reduce evaporation , thereby con
serving a percipitation tbat under those
conditions would bo ample for grain
husbandry : Therefore
lie it Itesolved , By this association that
our national congress should create a
commission for the purpose of investi
gating the feasibility of establishing for
est wind-breaks on the plains of Now
Mexico , Texas , Colorado , Lansas , Wy
oming , Nebraska and the two Dakotos. "
The resolution was duly seconded and
carried.
Professor Emory then read a paper on
"The Relation Between Forestry and
Experiment Stations and Agricultural
Colleges. "
MR. MORTON : "While I agree per
fectly with all of you as to the impor
tance -of this question of tree planting
and getting the public mind aroused to
the vitality of it and the fact that there
is a certain dependence between animal
and vegetable life , and when the forests
are all gone that all animal existence
will have ceased likewise , it seems tome
mo that to get this properly before the
people and to have it understood be
fore another generation has come and
gone , you must get it into the school
rooms , and I suggested to Mr. Brown
the preparation of primers upon arbori
culture , even beginning with the alpha
bet. Take a tree beginning with 'A'
and impart some useful information in
stead of 'The cat saw a rat , ' and that
sort of thing. To prove the value of
that sort of what the Methodists would
call an arousemeut of the public mind and
getting it into a receptive condition , we
have only to look at Arbor Day success.
This progressed very slowly until we
enlisted the public schools and the
teachers , and the moment these were
enlisted arboriculture began to grow
until now there is much more informa
tion abroad as to the value of forests ,
the conservation of forests , etc. It seems
that wo are not going to make this a suc
cess until the schools are further inter
ested by primary text-books and then by
text-books for mature students , and I
think it is one of the duties of this
association through each of its mem
bers , acting as a committee by himself
and for himself , to encourage people to
write text-books on arboriculture for
children and older students , and when
this is brought about we will have
begun a real substantial work for
forestry. "
Dr. Miller offered the following reso
lution which was adopted unanimously :
"JlesoU'cil. That this association ap
prove and fully endorse the plan of
Mr. 3. P. Brown , of Connersvillo , Ind. ,
for creating local corporations along the
various lines of railway in this state for
the planting of trees in from twenty to
forty acre tracts , and wo earnestly call
upon the railway corporations of the
state to lend him their support in carry
ing out this enterprise. "
Dr. Miller made a few remarks in
favor of this resolution , stating that it
was a very feasible plan and that ho
thought the railroads could bo interested
in the work. Motion made and carried
that we adjourn until one o'clock.
The afternoon session was called to
order at 1:20. : The first thing on the
program was a paper by Mr. E. D.
Wheeler , of Kansas , on "Forestry Prob
lems of the West. "
Mr. A. A. Jackson , of Janesville ,
Wis. , was called upon to make a few
remarks. He said ho agreed with Mr.
Morton in his suggestions about intro
ducing the subject of trees into the
schools. "We must have public senti
ment upon any great movement to make
it a success , and the place to begin the
creation of that sentiment is in the
schools. I had years ago a neighbor , a
most learned judge ; ho was very fond of
trees. Ho put out along his lot on the
street a fine row of trees. A careless
neighbor one day tied his horse to one
of those trees and the result was that in
a very short time the tree was ruined.
The judge discovered the man as he was
untying his horse and ho went for him
very vigorously , so vigorously that the
owner of the horse said : 'Why , Judge ,
I will pay you for the tree. ' The Judge
said to him , 'You talk about paying me
for the tree ; it took the Almighty ten
years to produce that tree and you talk
about paying for it. '
"It seems to nio we should go oiie
step further than was suggested by Mr.
Morton. Not only should wo put the
cultivation of trees into literature of the
schools , but we should ask them to put
out the trees and cultivate them. I
want to emphasize as strongly as I can
the propriety of this association in some
way introducing into the schools of this
country this question of tree culture.
"Another suggestion is that there
should go into the public parks of the
country every tree that will grow in that
climate and in that soil. "
Dr. George L. Miller then made a few
remarks in honor of Horatio Seymour.
Ho said it was Mr. Seymour who first
interested him in trees. "He used to
make stump' speeches to me , literally
stump speeches , sitting on stumps in his
own forests , pointing out to me the
beauties of the tree and teaching mo my
first lessons. I refer to the nanio and
fame and great moral worth of Horatio
Seymour , and I will say that I have out
here a monument to the memory of
Horatio Seymour in bronze , and Sey
mour Park is the name of my home. I
wish to pay tribute to this great benefactor -
factor of our country. "
Mr. Michelsen moved the thanks of
the meeting to the president for his
ability and kindness in conducting the
deliberations of the meeting. Motion
was carried unanimously.
Mr. Michelson moved that wo ad
journ. Carried.
