258 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



rnent of our woodlands, and would tend to make " useful 

 land" of that which is now unused, and would also tend, in 

 course of time, to establish forestry, an occupation among 

 us, which will, by and by, give employment of a kind that 

 does not now exist. A well-planned system of subsidies 

 by gift of seedling trees, or tree seeds, would be a good 

 way to secure further valuable educational results. 



Reckless methods of cutting have done much to lessen 

 the value and retard the growth of woodlands. Selling 

 wood on the stump, without proper restriction as to the 

 way the land should be left, is also injurious. The com- 

 plete cutting off of a wood lot greatly delays or prevents 

 early reseeding, and the renewal of the growth of wood. 

 The influence of this Board should be thrown to secure the 

 leaving of seed-bearing and young trees scattered over the 

 land in the interest of the owner and the State ; which 

 should be done most particularly in the case of evergreen 

 trees, that demand this course, where the planting of seed- 

 lings does not follow the cutting down of the mature trees. 



The method of raising trees from seed, now used and 

 recommended by Mr. Jackson Dawson, of the Arnold Ar- 

 boretum, which is practical and easy, and which was lately 

 given in the transactions of the Massachusetts Horticult- 

 ural Society, might also be reprinted in small pamphlet 

 form for distribution ; and farmers' clubs and similar or- 

 ganizations should be persuaded to put it into practical 

 operation. Mr. Dawson has described his method as fol- 

 lows : — 



To those who might wish to plant au acre or so every year, and 

 want no failures, I would recommend another system, which re- 

 quires less space and labor, though possibly more attention ; but 

 in the end any one could transplant the most difficult trees, such 

 as oak, hickory or chestnut, with no loss. For want of a better 

 name, I have called it the " box system." No doubt it has often 

 been used, but I have not heard of any one using it largely except 

 myself. By this method every root is preserved, and not even a 

 fibre destroyed ; there are few if any large tap roots to cut off, 

 and, even if grown in the nursery afterwards, they lift with finer 

 roots than the seedlings grown in the ordinary way ; and, though 

 they will not make so vigorous a growth the first year as they 



