Mr. C. M. Hovey in the Massachusetts Ploughman, suggests a method by
which some practical. work in forestry can be done by the State, he asks:

Why not rely in this important matter upon individual effort? Why not
appeal to every owner of waste lands throughout the State to plant them with
forest trees, under the inducement of exemption from taxation, or at least with-
out additional tax for every acre planted, whether one or five hundred? Every
farmer or owner would soon become deeply interested, and have some induce-
ment to seek for information which would enable him to Jearn its importance
and aid him to succeed in his effort, provided he was not already familiar with
the work. It would entirely change the state of things as they now exist, and
which quite discourage all improvements of the kind. Farmers who would
naturally plant trees, are deterred from doing so, knowing that their taxes will


THE SECRETARY’S PORTFOLIO. 395


be increased just in proportion to the acreage planted. ‘Thousands of acres of
waste lands are taxed at a very nominal rate, but the moment any attempt is
made to improve them, to plow or plant, the rate is at once increased, though
no apparent value is given to it, at least for a great many years, as the care and
labor of planting and rearing the young seedlings is much more than their
immediate worth.
WHERE TO PLANT THE CHESTNUT.
