32 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



striving to aid the growth of wood and lumber upon soils 

 and localities that are comj)aratively worthless for cultivation ; 

 and I would recommend to an}'^ one possessed of such tracts, 

 even if they comprised his whole real estate, to abandon the 

 idea oi farming on them, and let and even strive to aid nature 

 in restoring them to their natural and original production. 



I now come to th^ consideration of another class of waste 

 lands that too often meets the eye in enclosed fields — and 

 that is, bunches of bushes growing luxuriantly on high and 

 low lauds. We all can tell how this came about. It was 

 not always a large bush or bunch of bushes, — it came there 

 by neglect. I have seen men when mowing with the old 

 hand scythe, very careful not to cut or injure very small 

 bushes, Avhen they chanced to come to them, as we sometimes 

 will on most any farm. The best thing to do is to pull the 

 little bush up while it can be done easily, and not leave it as 

 though it would become an ornament to the field. Now, 

 although I believe in letting bushes grow*, and even in culti- 

 vating them in their proper places, I would as soon think of 

 breeding wolves to slaughter and destroy my sheep as of 

 letting bushes get a start in a field, for they are sure to gain 

 rapidly each year if left to grow ; besides, imagine the pleas- 

 ure of driving the mowing machine around about countless 

 bunches of bushes and stones, and of plowing and cultivating 

 around them. The idea seems to me too preposterous to 

 entertain for one moment. In all probability the soil on 

 which these bushes grow is as fertile naturally as any about 

 it, and I think it should be put to a difierent and better use, 

 as it can be in many cases, with but slight expense, thereby 

 adding beauty to our fields and money to our pockets. It is 

 surprising how much we can accomplish in a little time when 

 we go at it with a will. By the way, I am an ox man, and 

 believe them to be the best animals to aid us in removing 

 bushes, if we are so unfortunate as to have them. With a 

 good pair, (and good ones are always the best,) we can soon 

 be masters of the situation, taking them out (the bushes) 

 root and branch. In some places drainage is necessary in 



