Northern Nut Growers Association, Report Of The Proceedings At The Tenth Annual Meeting.: Battle Creek, Michigan, December 9 and 10, 1919
Science
Northern Nut Growers Association, Report Of The Proceedings At The Tenth Annual Meeting.: Battle Creek, Michigan, December 9 and 10, 1919
Northern Nut Growers Association -- Periodicals; Nut trees -- Periodicals; Nuts -- Periodicals
I will, however, mention a few of the principal points so that you may
understand its purpose. It provides that the Public Domain Commission
which has charge of the state forest reserve lands and parks, together
with the Michigan Agricultural College, are given authority to grow and
acquire suitable seeds, scions or trees for planting under the
provisions of this act. A department of the Agricultural College
determines the kind of trees which are adapted or suitable for planting
in different soils or places. In order to insure a uniform system of
planting, this duty is left to the State Highway Commission and the
State Board of Agriculture, acting jointly. The trees belong to the
state, but the nuts or other products belong to the owner of the land
adjoining the highway. A penalty is imposed if these trees are defaced
with advertisements or signs, and neither can they be cut down or
destroyed.
But just as you find legislatures differing in their opinions upon
public matters, so you must expect them to differ more or less upon the
feasibility of most any bill that is presented for their consideration.
All kinds of arguments are made for and against any bill. I remember
that one Senator in the committee thought that trees planted along the
highways bearing nuts or fruit would constantly be subject to a lot of
tampering and molestation by the traveling public. But another Senator
came back with a reply that seemed to be very convincing, when he stated
that he had a fine row of cherry trees growing along the front of his
farm, and had never experienced any trouble of that kind from such a
source.
I have always felt that if the merits of a good bill were properly
explained to a legislature committee, there will be no hesitancy in
having it favorably reported out and finally passed. I believe the
legislature of 1919 took this view of the tree planting bill introduced
by myself, as it was passed by both the Senate and the House, and later
received the signature of Governor Sleeper, thus making it an
established law of Michigan.
I must not forget to mention the fact that after this bill had been
passed by the legislature and still needed the signature of the Governor
to make it a law, a number of Michigan's representative and influential
citizens wrote to Governor Sleeper, urging him to affix his signature
thereto. Among those was Dr. J. H. Kellogg of Battle Creek, who has more
than a nation-wide reputation in his profession and is at present a
strong factor in the success of this association.
This law is intended not only to ornament the public highways of
Michigan, but also to furnish nut bearing and other food-producing trees
that should assist materially in the problems incident to the high cost
of living. It would seem that such a law should be duplicated in every
state where practicable, and also be promoted by the National Government
upon National Highways.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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