HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 55 



of Millbank, South Dakota, as one who would corroborate his state- 

 ment. Mr. Port is traveling agent for Wood Bros'., agricultural 

 machinery, and has been careful to observe everything of the kind. 

 He said in substance that a gentleman who owns a tree-claim in 

 South Dakota (who I think is an eastern man and very intelligent), 

 had endeavored to copy nature in the development of a forest. Ac- 

 cordingly he had ignored to a great extent the letter of the law, 

 and followed his own dictum in reference to method. He culti- 

 vated his ten acres four successive years before he attempted to de- 

 velop trees, and each year he went deeper until the fourth year he 

 got down to the depth he wanted which was over a foot if not 18 

 inches. In the fourth year he turned the weeds under where they 

 were in blossom. Late in the fall, just before the ground froze up, 

 he dragged his ground, as he would for corn, a great many times 

 and pulverized it. Then he mixed a variety of seeds indigenous to 

 his climate, box-elder, ash and I think some maple which he sowed 

 broadcast with his hand, as we used to sow in the old fashioned 

 time. Then he put on his drag and dragged it thoroughly. That 

 is all he ever did to his tree-claim. The next season those seeds 

 grew up very thick and had a struggle during summer agaiust the 

 weeds that over topped the little things but they survived. They 

 were of course very small but were in a comparatively healthy con- 

 dition. He let them grow. The next season there was quite a com- 

 petition between the weeds and the young trees, the third year the 

 young trees began to gain upon the weeds; the fourth and fifth 

 years they towered above the weeds and over-shaded the weeds and 

 grass, so that nothing of this kind could grow under. He never 

 used a hoe or cultivator and in due time he made application for a 

 charter. Of course he had to swear that he hadn't followed the let- 

 ter of the law but there were the trees of a superior kind, and many 

 of them; and on the strength of that, Uncle Sam gave him a char- 

 ter. He writes me that they are the best trees he ever saw in the 

 West, being tall, symmetrical, beautiful and of a superior grade of 

 forest trees. That is the substance of what was written me by 

 Mr. George Port, and it is corroborated by Mr. McKusick. 



I thought these facts were of sufficient consequence for us to 

 have a deliberate consideration over, and I hope you will criticize 

 them as they require it, and see if in your opinion they should be 

 put upon record. If it can be carried out in practice, why, only 

 conceive what a vast amount of cost will be abridged, and what suc- 

 cess we will have in developing forests all over the Northwest. Of 

 course it is a disadvantage to us fellows who are engaged in selling 

 trees. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Miller. Do you know what variety of trees those were? 

 Mr. Barrett. He had ash, and, if I remember right, he had 

 sugar maple. 



Mr. Miller. What kind of ash? 



Mr. Barrett. Native ash. 



Mr. Harris. That method of starting a forest is very near to 



