182 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



or for any purpose except to keep the shape of the tree 

 good ? 



Mr. Clement. — I would not. Some cut out the middle 

 branches of a tree to let the sun in ; but the next heavy crop of ■ 

 apples will swing the limbs to the ground, and leave the middle 

 of the tree an open space. 



Mr. Barnard. — Would you cultivate the ground of an 

 orchard ? 



Mr. Clement. — I would cultivate, especially on old lands, 

 being careful not to injure the roots. Cultivation lays the earth 

 open to the sun, and atmosphere, and rain. Even a little circle 

 dug around a tree, no larger than a wagon-wheel, is better than 

 nothing. 



Mr. Davis. — From your own experience, do we need more 

 legislation to protect our lands and forests from boys who carry 

 guns ? 



Mr. Clement. — I think we need something of the kind. I 

 alluded, in an article which I prepared for the " Boston Daily 

 Advertiser," last winter, to the matter of legislation with refer- 

 ence to caterpillars. I have a neighbor, having lands on either 

 side of me, who does not kill his caterpillars. And though I 

 take especial pains to kill all I can find on my trees, and spend 

 days in doing it, when the worms leave my neighbor's trees they 

 come all over my place, and the next year my trees are covered 

 with caterpillars. I think that is a case for legislation, and that 

 farmers should be compelled to kill the caterpillars on their own 

 trees, or cut down the trees. 



Mr. Davis. — It is certainly a great annoyance to a farmer 

 who wishes to protect birds, to have clerks and others, who wish 

 to take a walk, passing through his forests and shooting such birds 

 as he wishes to protect. He would rather like to see them walk 

 through his lands if they will let the birds alone. I think we 

 want a law, that if a notice is put up, saying, " No one may 

 shoot birds on this land," a heavy fine may be the penalty of the 

 violation ; and the carrying of a gun over the ground, or a bird- 

 bag, should be considered also a violation. During these dry 

 times I have had my forests set on fire, and suffered many 

 dollars damage from careless shooting. 



Mr. Hadwen, of Worcester. — I have thought some legislation, 

 empowering towns to employ a man to kill the caterpillars, 



