FOREST TREES. 135 



a mistake by setting his trees so far apart, allowing them to 

 grow bushy, and then trimming them. We think a white pine 

 should not have live limbs trimmed from it, as this causes the 

 tree to bleed, and that makes a black spot in the lumber. 



Statement of W. B. Hosmer. 



The lot of forest trees that I enter for premium contains some 

 over one acre, and is planted with white pine. I commenced, 

 May 16, 1857, by sowing the seed and transplanting about one- 

 half of the lot in rows. I found it much the cheapest and surest 

 to transplant the small pines rather than to sow the seed. In 

 1861 I set out the remainder of the lot the first of June. The 

 land on which I have planted is good plain land. My method 

 of planting is to take up the small pines with some soil ; the 

 roots being numerous it will easily remain. In setting them 

 out it requires but little care or skill, as they are most certain 

 to live. After experimenting on the trimming of the pine, I 

 have come to the conclusion that it is important to trim ; think 

 they make better growth than to leave the limbs to die out as 

 they always do. I know most persons think it will not do to 

 trim, and have heard it remarked that it would kill trees. The 

 committee can judge whether they think any injury resulted 

 from the trimming of mine. In trimming, it will not do to 

 cut the limbs off close to the body, but some three inches from 

 it. Tiie trimming should be done in the winter, when the limbs 

 arc frozen, and never at any time should a tree be trimmed so 

 that the remaining limbs will not shade the trunk of the tree. 

 It is evident to me that the rays of the sun falling directly on 

 the trunk of the tree is what causes it to die, and not the cut- 

 ting off the limbs. I am satisfied that a source of great profit 

 can be realized from the planting of pines, and if the many acres 

 of waste land we now see were converted into a growth of pines 

 it would be a profitable investment. 



Wm. Woodbury, Chairman. 



