FOREST TREES. 201 



destroy. He attempted to accomplish his purpose by cutting 

 down the young trees, in the month of June, — a process whicli, 

 he had been assured, would certainly kill the roots. The attempt 

 was given up, after cutting over one-half the field. But, in the 

 month of September following, he found there, to his astonish- 

 ment, a new growth of young birch trees, nearly or quite as 

 large as that which had remained untouched on the other half 

 of the field. He is now done with cutting young birch trees in 

 the month of June, in order to kill their roots. 



Statement of Whiting Metcalf. 



My plantation of forest trees contains three and a half acres. 

 The soil is a light sandy loam, and the subsoil sand. About 

 one-half of it is of pitch-j)ine ; the other half of white pine and 

 birches. I raised rye upon the land every other year for several 

 years, but found it did not pay the expenses. I then procured 

 some pitch-pine seeds and sowed them on the rye stubble, and 

 harrowed them, which was the only expense. This was done 

 about twenty years ago. The seeds came up too thick, in some 

 places, but I suffered them to take their course until last spring, 

 Avhen I thinned out of the lot about ten cords. This leaves the 

 remainder ample room to grow, and, it is the opinion of compe- 

 tent judges, that there are now fifteen cords to the acre upon 

 the ground. 



The other half of the lot was sown three or four years after- 

 wards with white pine seeds ; but the seed did not come up well, 

 and the next year I sowed birch seed to fill all the vacancies. I 

 aiow have a handsome lot of white pine and birch trees. 



Franklin, September, 1856. 



Statement of A. II. Metcalf. 



The land on which my plantation of forest trees stands, con 



sists of a poor sandy loam, and was considered nearly worthless. 



In the year 1850, on the 12th of June, I set out upon it four 



hundred white pine trees. In the following spring, about the 



last of May, I set out nearly an equal number. The plantation 

 26 



