1892.] ESSAYS. Ill 



whose preservation is now provided for by chapter fifty-four of the 

 Public Statutes and the acts amendatory thereof." 



The requisite nails or spikes have been procured by the secre- 

 tary of the Board of Agriculture, and he is now prepared to 

 furnish them, on request of selectmen of towns or mayor and 

 aldermen of cities, for the purposes set forth in the act al)Ove 

 mentioned. 



I am not aware that action has been taken in a single instance 

 by the town or city officials in this county, to carry out the 

 provisions of this act. 



It seems to me that it is clearly within the province of this 

 Society, not a local but a County organization, to take the initi- 

 ative steps in this work, by defining some uniform method of 

 procedure and to designate what varieties of trees it is most 

 desirable to have preserved, and where, within these road-side 

 limits the same will be best protected from injury. 



The new law clearly defines the proper authorities entrusted 

 with this work. The Board of Selectmen in the several towns, 

 and in the case of our own city, the Parks-Commission would 

 seem to me to be the proper authorities. 



What Trees to Preserve. 



The White Oak, American White Beech, Rock or Sugar 

 Maples, American White Elm (when space is ample), and 

 American White Ash seem to me to be the most desiral)le. 



The objection to the Red Oak and Basswood or Linden is 

 their susceptibility to the attack of the borer ; the Poplars and 

 White or Red Maples, their liability to injury or wreckage by 

 ice storms. The Red or Slippery Elm if discovered by travel- 

 ling man or boy will not escape the robbing of its bark, and 

 the Chestnut and Walnut become the victims of severe club- 

 bing, and injury to their trunks, by pounding without mercy to 

 induce a few stray nuts to leave their snug quarters before 

 being ordered out by the autumnal frosts. 



Location of Trees. 



But two positions can safely be agreed upon in the Road- 

 side Preservation of Trees. Either they must be in close prox- 



