If it were possible for every person to own a tree and to care for it, the good results would be beyond estimation.

Bailey, a leading American horticulturist and advocate for nature study, frames tree stewardship as a civic and moral good rather than a private hobby. The quote suggests that widespread, personal responsibility for a living tree would yield benefits too large to quantify—environmental (shade, soil protection, cleaner air), social (beautification, community pride), and educational (daily contact with growth, seasons, and care). Implicit is a democratic ideal: if ordinary people had both access to trees and the habit of tending them, society would cultivate patience, foresight, and respect for living systems. The line also anticipates modern ideas of urban forestry and citizen-led conservation.