SECRETARY'S REPORT. 87 



let it be in a very slight manner. I recollect that last year I 

 cleared a piece of new ground. There were some white pine and 

 elders on it, and I burnt the brush that was scattered over the 

 surface. I did not pile it up, but let the fire run over the sur- 

 face very lightly ; and very soon I saw bunches of white clover 

 coming up, and by autumn, it had nearly covered the ground. 

 Then again, I have been accustomed to mow the bushes and 

 brakes, and all noxious weeds and vegetables, and let them lie 

 upon the surface and decay. I would, a? a general thing, 

 repudiate the idea of burning brush upon our shallow soils. 

 There may be exceptions, however. We have found, on many 

 of our pastures, that the labor of keeping down the brush, and 

 the white birches and alders, has been more trouble than the 

 feed we got has been worth ; and consequently, some of us 

 have let our older pastures grow up to white birch. To be sure, 

 it is not the best quality of wood, but we can always sell it for 

 something — for all it is worth perhaps — and clear new lands. 

 These new lands produce fine, sweet feed, and if the brush is 

 left to decay upon the surface, good white clover will come in, 

 and will last, there is no doubt, a great while. 



Mr. Anderson. — I would like to inquire in regard to the 

 dryness or moisture of the pastures. 



Mr. Clement. — A portion of this soil is dry. In some places 

 there are what we call " runs " through it, that are tolerably 

 moist, and the white birches that grow up become quite sizable 

 trees in a few years. On the knolls where the soil is thinner 

 and poorer, the trees are dwarfish, and will die down before 

 they become useful for fuel. Ordinarily, we can spade down 

 two feet very comfortably. There is a hard-pan twenty inches 

 or two feet below the surface. A good deal of it is none too 

 wet ; and last year these knolls looked as though they had been 

 burnt over. 



Dr. Hartwell. — Gentlemen have been speaking of those 

 pastures that are improved by the application of plaster. There 

 is a kind of land in Worcester County that plaster improves ; 

 there is another kind that it makes no impression upon whatever. 

 Clayey, moist soils are improved very much by the apj)lication 

 of plaster. The diluvial, or drift soil, with the gravel which 

 overlays, in some instances, this formation, is never improved 

 by plaster. You will find that there are pasture lauds where 



