216 BOAED OF AGEICULTUEE. 



which is, after all, the thing which is going to build up the 

 farming interests of New England in the future. 



The Chairman. Here is a question, and the answer will 

 not take five minutes : " Is it best to remove limbs from pine 

 trees that are from five to eight inches in diameter?" Will 

 Mr. Slade tell us? 



Mr. Slade. I have never had much experience in that. 

 I passed a plantation last week or week before last where the 

 farmer and his men were just finishing trimming the trees, 

 and as I came along he came up and talked with me about it. 

 He wanted to know what I thought of what he was doing. 

 I told him I thought he was doing wrong. He had cut those 

 limbs off close to the tree as high up as he could reach with 

 a narrow axe. I think that those knots will bleed and they 

 will ultimately spoil the lumber. 



The Chairman. If the trees are sufficiently near together 

 will not nature provide for it? 



Mr. Slade. If they are sufficiently near together they 

 will take care of themselves, but in the plantation to which I 

 refer they are not sufficiently near togethei- ; they were set 

 eight feet by ten. I think the trimming should be done per- 

 haps the second year. As soon as the tree gets thoroughly 

 rooted take a knife and go through the plantation and cut ofi" 

 the two lower limbs the first year, repeat it perhaps the 

 third year, and so on. The tree will be trimmed gradually, 

 and it will outgrow any injury that it may receive. 



Mr. Hersey. What time of the year would you do it? 



Mr. Slade. I would do it in the spring ; take a knife 

 and cut upward. If he had cut them ofi" two or three inches 

 from the butt, I think the limb would have died ofi" and the 

 trunk of the tree would not have been injured. 



Mr. Hersey. They will not be injured at all if cut at 

 this time of the year. 



Mr. Slade. Well, I hope it will not injure them, but I 

 believe it will. 



Mr. EooT of Barre. Do I understand friend Slade to say 

 that he would not remove the small dead limbs from a pine 

 tree? 



Mr. Slade. Oh, no. After a plantation has been set 

 out a year or two you can take oflf the two lowest limbs on© 



