He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much.— Lukk 16; 10. 



MYSELF AND MY NEIGHBORS. 



"White Lumber for Making Sections. 



R.VlSlNi; BASSWOODS, AND SOME OTHEK MATTEKS 

 PEUTAINING THERETO. 



('ast thy Ill-pad upon tho waters: lor thou shalt 

 flnrt it after many days.— Ere 11: 1. 



fllE (juestioii is beinj; constantly iigital- 

 ed at ouv conventions ami llirougli 

 our jotnnals. in regard to cutting 

 down our basswood-trees that furnish 

 the honey to make nice wliite sections 

 to contain said honey, and present it to con- 

 sumers in a marketable shape. The (lues- 

 tion has been asked, '" WJiat shall we do to 

 stop itV' Ml/ answer is, " Raise more bass- 

 woods to take the place of those lieing cut 

 off.'' It looks at present as if there were no 

 other lumber in the world equal to ])asswood 

 for this purpose ; and if such is the case, 

 why not start basswood - forests at once ? 

 These trees, while getting to be of a size 

 suitable for honey-boxes, will furnish mil- 

 lions of pounds of honey, so that we have 

 some bearing a crop while others are mak- 

 ing their growth foi- timber ; and, it is my 

 honest conviction, that they will pay their 

 way right along. We want men and boys 

 with brains enough and energy enough 

 ('which is sometimes more needed than 

 brains), to go to work and gather the bass- 

 wood seeds, or put out the cuttings, which- 

 ever may be best, and start the trees grow- 

 ing by the millions. They can get their 

 money back as they go along, by selling the 

 little trees to bee-keepers, and others who 

 want them. If little basswood-trees were 



now in the market, say two or three inches 

 high, or of such size that they could be sent 

 cheaply by mail, and offered at a price as 

 low as other forest-trees are offered, millions 

 of them could be sold, and at a good profit 

 too. Then we w-ant a little treatise on bass- 

 Avood-growing. by some one who has actual- 

 ly done it. We want to know exactly the 

 conditions they re(iuire to make the wonder- 

 ful growths that we often see them make in 

 their native forests. We want to know just 

 how to make them l)oom. If it is necessary 

 to bring in father Cole's agriculture, it will 

 \>ay us to go to the expense of that. And. 

 liythe way, I am going to have some little 

 basswood-trees put right over my reservoirs. 

 I want to see the little bundles of tibrous 

 roots just revel amid those piles of stone, 

 covered with water the year round. We 

 want big, strong, thrifty plants to start with 

 —something like the best plants we get of 

 market gardeners. In my own basswood- 

 orchard there are now many trees that bear 

 pretty fair crops of honey, and they would 

 make quite a nice lot of beautiful sections, 

 if they were to be cut down. One big mis- 

 take i made was in putting the trees too far 

 apart. The largest trees in the whole plan- 

 tation are where 1 set a lot of trees left after 

 we got through, and these large trees are 

 standing now not more than a yard apart. 

 If put in rows twelve feet apart, and six feet 

 apart in the row. they could stand there un- 

 til the larger ones would make quite a lot of 

 beautiful white sections. It seems pretty 

 hard, I know, to talk about cutting down a 

 strong thrifty tree while in full bearing ; 

 but, dear friends, can't we raise enough of 



