BRISTOL SOCIETY. 531 



Time was when the setting of shade trees by the road-side 

 was forbidden by law, lest, in case of fires in a village, they 

 should be the means of spreading the conflagration from dwell- 

 ing to dwelling ; but, thanks to a wiser and more far-seeing 

 legislation, their cultivation is now encouraged by statute, and 

 their wilful and malicious destruction is visited with a heavy 

 penalty. 



A wealthy inhabitant of Middlesex recently left a legacy of 

 several hundred dollars for planting trees by the road-side. 

 What future wayfarer, as he seeks rest and shelter under their 

 welcome shade, will not pronounce blessings on this benefac- 

 tor of his race ? A public-spirited member of our own society* 

 has, directly or indirectly, caused several hundred trees to be 

 transplanted along the highways, within a few years past ; 

 and already his example is imitated by many who were first 

 inclined to oppose or ridicule. Let us, then, encourage the 

 cultivation of ornamental trees, remembering that, in their hap- 

 py influences upon our posterity, they will bear fruit, " some 

 thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred fold." 



This society have offered, for the greatest number of orna- 

 mental trees of the best kind, and in the most thrifty condition, 

 planted by the road-side, a premium of $10 ; for the second 

 best, $5. The committee award to Lucas Daggett of Attle- 

 borough, being the only competitor, a premium of |5. 



The cultivation of forest trees also demands our attention, 

 and is worthy of our serious efforts. Modern civilization is 

 fast sweeping away the beauty and pride of those noble forests 

 which waved so majestically over our land when the Mayflower 

 touched our New England shores. The murderous axe of the 

 Yankee farmer has made wanton havoc of our noble pines 

 and stately oaks ; the work of destruction is still going on ; 

 and necessity will soon compel us to adopt some energetic 

 measures for the preservation of so valuable a production of 

 our soil. 



The beauty and usefulness of the forest are each sufficient 

 reasons for cherishing and preserving it. 



How much more pleasant to the eye is a hill-side, with its 

 green trees and splendid foliage, to a naked, barren summit, 



* Mr. Samuel Carpenter, of Attleborough. 



