Let us for a moment contemplate the not infrequent attempt to ignore the fact that nature has, in some sense, devised a special law, obedience to which is essential to the highest success and the most perfect development of each family of plants; and the tendency of man, on the other hand, to apply his own Procustean ideas alike to all. An assumed expert of this school, having devised a model to which he would conform the growth of his trees, shortens the growth of his peach trees; and, with the eye of an artist, brings them to the form of the model. Satisfied with the result in their case, he proceeds next to bring his pear trees, and anon the apples also into the same favorite rut; only to learn, possibly after years of misdirected effort, that with some varieties of these fruits, at least, while his trees may become assimilated, in form, to the chosen model, the process involves the removal, in whole or in part, of all possibility of fruit.

Pausing at the vineyards, he shakes his wise head at their rampant disregard of his model, and, in sheer disgust, leaves them to their trellis, the Thrips and the Philloxera; and wends his way to the small fruit plantation, where he deftly licks the raspberry and blackberry plants into satisfactory form, while nature smiles upon his labor. Emboldened by success, he next attacks the currants and gooseberries; whereupon Dame Nature compromises the matter, with decided indications of disapproval, by perhaps giving him large and beautiful fruit, but very little of it.

But the afflatus is still strong upon him, and impels him, next, to the lawn, where, in the working out of his model upon the shruberry, he is ultimately made to comprehend that trees and plants which bloom from the last season's wood yield but a partial and dissatisfied assent to the application of his straight-jacket, which despoils them of very much of their incipient bloom, while most of the Spireas, with many other plants of corresponding habit, can only be shortened or sheared, with the entire loss of the season's bloom.

In certain pursuits involving a division of labor, an operative, by continuous manipulation of a single process, may become so expert that thought respecting it ceases to be a necessity, since the deeply worn rut comes to be an unerring guide. Unfortunately, doubtless, for the perfection of the manipulations, but, fortunately for the mental status of the operative, in horticultural pursuits, this condition of affairs very rarely becomes possible. On the other hand, in this specialty, we have to do with trees and plants, brought together from dissimilar climates, and from varying conditions even of the same climate, as well as with dissimilar habits of growth and fruitage, all which particulars must be studied, both separately and associated, in the case of each class of plants, before we can determine the rut in which it will most surely and perfectly respond to our treatment, while the neglect of any of these essentially modifying particulars will, quite possibly, as with the inconsiderate artist, who selected a grazing cow as the standpoint for a picture, cause his plans to fall into confusion, to the ruin of his work.

Besides the agricultural ruts, of which we have heretofore spoken, horti

culture seems to be essentially complicated with other ruts, almost innumerable, one class of which may be designated as botanical ruts, by the careful study of which we might, perchance, become expert enough to be able to determine authoritatively whether the pulp or the pit of a peach is the fruit— whether tomatoes, potatoes, melons and pumpkins are, in fact, vegetables or fruits, while it may even be found possible to discover the true reason why the fabled pumpkin did not grow upon the oak.

In one of these ruts we might, if only blest with the requisite acuteness of vision and perception, follow in the track of Professor Burrill, and be able to finally and authoritatively determine the question whether bacteria are really vegetables or insects, and whether they are the cause or only a concomitant of blight and yellows.

Yet another system of ruts, which add greatly to the complications of horticulture, may be denominated entomological ruts, in the study of which some very acute plant-grower might succeed in winning the gratitude of his compeers by the discovery of some means of propagating thrips, phylloxera, red spider and scale insect, short of a resort to his pet plants for the purpose. And if, moreover, our honored President could, after a critical survey of this field, tempt the lachnosterna, the crown-borer and the leaf-roller with forage more to their liking, and, at the same time, more economical than strawberry plants, there would no longer be a peg on which to hang a doubt of the appropriateness of his recognized title of strawberry king. The orchardist and nurseryman might, doubtless, with equal reason, hope to discover some other pasture so satisfactory to the aphis and his reputed dairyman, the ant, that it would be accepted in place of his trees, to his great relief and gratification. And if, furthermore, he could succeed in persuading the curculio, and even the codling moth and borer, back into the ruts occupied by them prior to their discovery of the plum and the apple, he might be almost, if not altogether, prepared to hail the advent of the millennium of horticulture, though he will hardly be able to felicitate himself upon the actual arrival of that much-to-be-desired era, till (after investigating the ruts of commerce) he shall discover a way to turn out a thoroughly honest package from the faced ones which reach our markets through the back door, minus a sponsor, and seem to serve, most appropriately, as a bait to catch gudgeons, who may be ready to bite at an apparent offer of something for nothing, and until he shall find himself able to measure out a full quart from a one and a half pint box, and an honest peck from a six quart basket. These accomplished, he will need, next, to provide the inevitable tree peddler a school in which he may be taught how to realize the many wonderful facts which now find an existence only in his fertile brain; and in such school there might be a department in which the sanguine and ambitious originator and disseminator of novelties may learn just how far he may venture to impose his wares upon a credulous public without endangering his reputation for honesty, and even how the nurseryman may most effectively conduct a paper at the expense of the public, to be used in "blowing his own horn" and in belittling his rivals.

In this investigation he may perchance be brought face to face with the question-so long an ogre to the grangers-what percentage of his income the "middle man may reasonably sweat out of his produce "en passant," and whether, as the electric current waits not in its passage, so produce may not be made to pass from producer to consumer direct. And he may even find occasion to consider whether he or the commission merchant is the better judge as to the most desirable varieties of fruit to be grown for his own use, and even for market purposes.

Nor can he, even yet, drop quietly down upon the milennial couch of rose leaves, till, after inuring his olfactories to the mal-odors of the political arena, and acquiring a mastery of the system of ruts governmental, he shall be able to impress upon the mind of the public, and, through it, upon the legislative mind, the fact that, as horticulture is older than agriculture, of the practice of which it is rather a dilution than an improvement, the most direct and effective method by which to improve and elevate the latter must surely be to place the leading ideas and the highest practice in horticulture in the forefront, as a sublimation or intensification of the best, most productive and profitable possible practice in agriculture, needing mere amplification to adapt it to practice on a broader scale.

Having studied these, and multitudes of other ruts and combinations of ruts, and settled, to his own satisfaction, how far it may prove pleasant or profitable to follow their guidance, and having also assured himself of the probable consequences of following them too implicitly, it may be supposed that this graduated student of ruts will find himself at full liberty to settle quietly down to the life work of growing the best possible crops of vegetables, fruits and flowers, and of "paddling his own canoe," generally. Bless you! nothing of the kind! He has become too conspicuous a mark for newspaper pellets, and will not be spared from sitting with gatherings of horticulturists, while his lucubrations are being deliberately picked in pieces by his associates; and he will be required to employ his pen, and, perchance, a writing machine or two, in responding to the thousand and one queries of correspondents who may lack the facilities, the time, or, perchance, even the disposition to elaborate them for themselves. In fact, he will now, pretty surely, find himself settled down in the deepest of horticultural ruts, with no alternative but to go straight forward, unless, perchance, he shall succeed in making a qualified or partial escape by assuming the role of horticultural editor, and, in so doing, acquire the right (by courtesy) to impose a share of the burden upon his friends or acquaintances.

The President-The last topic and paper for this evening is one upon forestry-a subject that ranks all others in importance to our interests all over this continent. The success of our horticulture, the prosperity of our agriculture, and the permanence of our civilization even, all depend upon the wisdom with which we manage

this paramount interest of forestry. I am glad that so able a man as Governor Furnas, of Nebraska, has undertaken to discuss this subject here, and am very sorry that Dr. Warder was not able to get here to present his paper upon this question in person.

Before introducing Governor Furnas, allow me to say that I hold in my hand this handsome gavel-A beautiful emblem of my officewhich was, at the beginning of this meeting, presented to me by my esteemed friend, the Governor. It is made of three varieties of native timber from trees planted and grown by the Governor on the great plains of Nebraska, once known as the Great American Desert. And a very suggestive commentary it is upon the old theories concerning the sterility of these magnificent plains of the Northwest.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Hon. Robert W. Furnas, of Nebraska.

FORESTRY ON THE PLAINS.

BY R. W. FURNAS, OF NEBRASKA.

"With every successive year the depletion of the lumber forests is deplored, and the cry raised that only a short time will intervene before the vast timbered districts will be barren areas. Owners of pine lands materially differ as to when this famine will occur, some placing the limit at seven years and others as far off as twenty-five years. It is a subject, although closely studied, still not demonstrable as an absolute certainty. No one knows just how much timber there is in the Northwest, though perhaps a pretty fair approximate can be arrived at, and from such an estimate is based the reasonable deduction that in about seven years, at the rate timber is now being cut, the market here will have to seek new fields of supply.

"Michigan forests are being thinned out more rapidly than those of Wisconsin and Minnesota, chiefly because the timber is more plentiful and attracts more dealers. It was estimated by lumber dealers and owners of pine lands that the main lumber region of Michigan, that is, the main peninsula, contained in 1880 about 29,000,000,000 of feet. Since then an average of 4,000,000,000 feet a year have been cut, thus making 12,000,000,000 feet subtracted from the 29,000,000,000, leaving 17,000,000,000 standing. The upper peninsula was estimated at the same time to contain about 6,000,000,000 feet, of which something like 1,500,000,000 have been cut. Thus, in the two districts or peninsulas of Michigan, the standing timber at present is estimated at 21,500,000,000 feet of lumber.

"In 1881 Michigan contributed 4,500,000,000 feet, and 1882 about 6,000,000,000 feet. The total amount ofjfeet of lumber cut in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota in 1881 was 6,768,886,749 feet. The figures for the year 1882 have

not yet been completed, but an approximation places the yield at nearly 10,000,000,000.

"It is readily perceived, therefore, that the day is not far off, if the cutting continues at this rate, when the lumber fields of the Northwest will be things of the past. Fully alive to the inevitable result, capital is being invested in the South, particularly in Mississippi and Alabama, where the pine belts are enormous in extent and apparently inexhaustible. Unlike the white pine of the Northwest, the yellow pine of the South grows rapidly and is not killed by civilization. The young pines of the Northwest are not reckoned in the calculation, as maturity is too indefinite, and growth is stunted by the smoke and camp-fires of the lumbermen. The hardy yellow pine of Southern Mississippi, Arkansas, portions of Tennessee and Alabama, grow, the smoke of settlers to the contrary notwithstanding. The Mississippi pine lands, which have recently attracted the attention of a wealthy syndicate of western men, are seemingly inexhaustible. Their richness is no new discovery, and billions of feet have been cut from them and transported to every port in the civilized world."*

With these figures before us, together with the well-known constantly increasing consumption of timber, and consequent growing demand, there is well founded solicitude, not only on the part of the United States, but of the whole civilized world, as to future timber supply.

Solicited by this Society to prepare and read a paper on this occasion, and the subject, "Forestry on the Plains," designated, the object will be, not so much a treatise, as to present as briefly as may be practical what has been done, what is being done, and what may be done, converting naturally timberless portions of country into tree-growing regions. The presentation is substantially the experience and observation of the writer during a residence of twenty-seven years west of the Missouri river, in what is now the States of Nebraska and Kansas, familiarly known as "Twin Sister" territories, organized under the same act of Congress.

Taking the geography of boyhood days, together with official reports of Captain Miles, U. S. A., and the western explorer, Colonel Fremont, relating to that portion of the national domain situated between the Missouri river and the Rocky Mountains, as a basis for conclusions, there was at date of extinguishment of Indian title to these lands, in 1854, nothing enticing to enterprising adventurers seeking new homes in the Far West, especially in matters of tree-growing. The thought that the then naked plains would ever be transformed into groves of valuable timber was not entertained.

Those who first came, during the years 1854-55-56, soon discovered, however, that, particularly along the borders of streams and where prairie fires were kept out, there was promising spontaneous indigenous growth of valuable varieties of timber: Oaks, black walnut, hickories, elms, ash, red mulberry, honey-locust, hackberry, linden, soft maple, sycamore, Kentucky cof

*Chicago Times, January, 1883.