OUR HOMES. 95 



my land through the highway, — it makes no difference whether 

 there are fences by the roadside or not— he is responsible for what- 

 ever damage they do. If I own the land on one side of a highway, 

 I own to the middle of the road. If I own on both sides, I own 

 that land, and if the road is discontinued; all its uses revert to 

 me ; the public has no longer any right to it for any purpose ; 

 and at no time have they any right, except to use it for a road to 

 pass over. 



Mr. KiLGORE of Lewiston. The State of Maine goes by the cog- 

 nomei||of the " Pine Tree State." Has anybody thought how im- 

 portant it is that we cultivate the pine, or, at least, do not destroy 

 it. What is better as an ornamental tree than the pine ? I have 

 thought it almost a crime for the woodmen of the State of Maine 

 needlessly to destroy a pine tree. Think of it for a moment ! A 

 large portion of the county of Oxford is natural to the pine. I 

 have reaped grain upon land where logs could now be cut large 

 enough to make quite a stock of boards. 



But a vandal hand is laid upon the pine, especially the little 

 pines. Fifty years will produce a crop of pines in the State of 

 Maine, and yet these trees are ruthlessly cut down everywhere. 

 It is astonishing that people should believe that the elm and the 

 maple, that are, barren of leaves half the year, produce a hand- 

 somer shade tree than the pine, which is useful as well as 

 ornamental. 



The importance of cultivating the pine should be brought to the 

 attention of the people. There is comparatively but a small por- 

 tion of our country that is capable of producing the pine to 

 advantage, and my idea is, that it should be cultivated on such 

 lands as are adapted to it. 



There is one other subject I wish to speak of. We were told in 

 the lecture this morning, that trees make the land warmer. Such 

 has not been my experience. I may be mistaken, but my experi- 

 ence was, that when I made a large clt^aring, I could raise corn, 

 where prior to that, the forest would injure the crop. Is th'at so ? 

 It does not seem to me that we are going to gain any thing in that 

 direction by cultivating forests; but if we cultivate trees for 

 beauty and ornament, we shall be great gainers. 



I hope that the subject of cultivating the pine, which was 

 the point I rose specially to speak upon, will be taken into con- 

 sideration. 



