294 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



are not half as much exposed to fire as the pine. One of 

 them is the chestnut. The chestnut is a very valuable tree, 

 especially now, when there are so mauy railroads in opera- 

 tion ; and ray impression is that in many instances fire does 

 not kill the roots of the chestnut, and it springs up again. 

 Then the leaves of the chestnut are soon out of the way, and 

 a fire does not run over them readily. The value of that 

 tree is hardly sufficiently estimated. A chestnut tree will 

 grow in twenty-five years so as to produce ties. If you cut 

 down a chestnut tree, another growth immediately springs 

 from those roots, and you have got another forest growing 

 right oif, and every year or two you can cut ofi* quite a crop 

 of chestnut ties, which are always in demand. 



I will mention another thing, and that is, if you cut down 

 a chestnut tree for wood, it is hardly fit for fuel the first 

 year. If you sell a man a load of chestnut wood in summer 

 that was cut the winter before, it is the last load you will 

 ever sell him. 



Mr. Grinnell. I think this discussion has gone as far 

 as is profitable without any direct action. I had, if you 

 will allow me to say so, a little experience in the legis- 

 lature of last year, having prepared the law now on the stat- 

 ute book, which was all we could get at the time. The law 

 had before provided against the malicious firing of forests, 

 or the setting of fires maliciously that might run on to other 

 land, and the addition was the best we could do, but possibly 

 something may be done this coming year, and I am happy to 

 say that we have here among us, as the senator from this 

 district, one of the most intelligent farmers in this part of 

 the State, who will accomplish as much as any one can. I 

 therefore move that the Board of Agriculture be requested, 

 by this meeting, to bring the question of protection of 

 forests against fires before the legislature as early in the 

 coming session as practicable. 



This motion was carried unanimously. 



The Secretary of the Board was then called upon to ad- 

 dress the convention on the breeding of horses, and re- 

 sponded as follows : 



Gentlemen, there is but a very short time to discuss this 

 question. I expect to take the train in half an hour, and I 



