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At an earlier day Michigan was the home of magnificent forests
of pine and hardwood. We have still enough hardwood trees left
to make Michigan the leading hardwood State in the Union, but
scarcely a vestige remains of our once splendid pine forests. What
can we do today to help restore what has been destroyed? Re-
forestation by the State and tree-planting by the individual—that
is the answer. Trees mean beauty and blessing. They mean health
and wealth. They mean shade and shelter and food.
For many years it has been the custom, at this season of the
year, for the Governor to issue a proclamation, calling upon the
people of the State to observe Arbor Day by the planting of trees
and by other appropriate exercises.
This year, important as the planting of trees undoubtedly is,
there is a still more important matter to engage our serious atten-
tion, and that is the planting of gardens. Through none of our own
seeking, we have been plunged into war; and we are threatened
with the greatest food shortage in our history. It may be that
disaster, great and irretrievable, can be averted only by utilizing for
planting purposes every available foot of ground. One-quarter of
an acre can be made to produce, for example, potatoes enough to
supply two or three families, and vacant lots in cities, towns and
villages are available for this purpose. PRODUCTION AND
CONSERVATION−these should be our two great watch-words
this year. *
Therefore, I, ALBERT E. SLEEPER, Governor of the State
of Michigan, do hereby designate and set aside
friday, £ap fourtſ), 1917, ag girbor and 65atten ſºap,
in the hope that both the Old and the young of our people may be
impressed with the needs of the situation, and may be stimulated
not only to plant trees, as has been our custom on Arbor Day, but
to plant their garden plots with potatoes and corn and beans and
other nutritious vegetables.
Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the
State this twenty-fourth day of April, in
the year of Our Lord one thousand nine
thundred and seventeen, and of the Com-
monwealth the eighty-first.
By the Governor:
Governor.
Secretary of State.