imber was destroyed, partly in the Far West and partly in the
East. Of late, too, certain insects have made havoc with large tracts,
and hills have been left bare and brown where they have been.

V--CONSERVATION

In 1882 the Forestry Association was formed to correct existing evils,
to care for standing timber, and to restock where that was necessary.
There are now over six thousand members of the association, and a paper
of great interest is published, called _American Forestry_, which gives
practical suggestions. This association has accomplished marvels in the
few years of its existence. In 1899 there were thirty-six
forest-reserves in the West. In addition, many States have their own
reserves.

VI--RENEWAL

In addition to caring for existing trees, others now are planted. Some
States have bounties for this purpose; others maintain nurseries where
saplings are raised and set out; seeds are sown; foreign trees are
introduced; in our public schools our children are instructed in the
growth and care of trees, and many have Arbor Day, when trees are
planted and exercises held to impress the children with the importance
of the occasion.

VII--SCHOOLS OF FORESTRY

There is a definite plan to have forestry taught in every State, and
short courses have been added to the curriculum of the State
universities. Yale and Cornell have forestry schools, and Harvard a
forestry course. At Biltmore, North Carolina, there is an excellent
school with exceptional forest advantages. Clubs can send for catalogues
of these schools.

VIII--THE RETURNS

Forestry does not aim to produce immediate commercial returns; indeed,
from that standpoint the returns are slow; yet in the end these are
greater than when the science is disregarded. Trees must be regarded as
a crop to be cut only in small sections rather than as a whole. But the
system once thoroughly established, the returns are steady and sure.
Timber is cut exactly at the right time instead of at haphazard, and so
is of the right size and age. Fuel is gathered from trees meant for that
purpose, and timber for building purposes from trees meant for that
alone.

In addition to the commercial results there are also others. Parks are
set aside for recreation and beauty, and game is preserved rather than
destroyed. Hillsides are renewed; winds are kept off; our watersheds are
protected, and rivers and streams kept full, and the land fertile.

IX--FAMOUS TREES

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