136 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



judicious pruning I would throw the growth into the trunk, 

 and gradually accustom its smooth and tender bark to resist 

 the effects of the sun's rays, which nature evidently designs 

 to shield by a profusion of lateral branches. This mode of 

 culture would reduce to a minimum the risk of loss by fire. 

 By carefully assorting my trees, I w^ould found my colony 

 on a basis of equality, putting the seedlings of the same size 

 and vigor together, and thus giving them an equal chance 

 in the race of life with their strono;er comrades and avoidino; 

 that inequality in size which detracts so much from the 

 beauty of the grove. The treatment above outlined might 

 be profitably varied, if desirable, by sowing broadcast be- 

 tween the rows the seed of the white hirch (jJojmlifoHa). 

 This should be done when the pines are 4 or 5 years old. 

 Being the only deciduous tree which is known to flourish 

 best where the land is poorest, they would soon overtake the 

 pines, and by their dense and rapid growth would so check 

 their laterals that pruning would be umiecessary. At the 

 end of 12 or 14 years they should be cut, when they would 

 probably yield as many cords per acre as they were years 

 old. A natural growth of birch would follow their removal, 

 which would mature with the pines. Eminent medical 

 authority assures us that where pines are grown to any con- 

 siderable extent, the atmosphere becomes saturated with a 

 sort of resinous vapor peculiarly adapted to soothe and alle- 

 viate the sufierings attendant on pulmonary complaints. 



Thus far we have spoken chiefly of the white pine, because 

 it is well adapted to worn-out sandy soils, away from the sea- 

 shore ; but experiments are not wanting where a variety of 

 forest trees have been grown from seed, giving satisfactory 

 results. That of Mr. Zachariah Allen of Providence, R. I., 

 where an old pasture containing 40 acres, and valued at $15 

 per acre, was seeded to a variety of forest trees, and an accu- 

 rate account current kept with the lot for a period of 57 

 years, paid Q^^q per cent, per annum on the original invest- 

 ment. Mr. Joseph S. Fay of Wood's Holl, late member of 

 the Board of Agriculture, has briefly but very kindly given 

 me some of his experience in forest-tree planting, which I 

 propose to read. He says : — 



