94 PLYMOUTH SOCIETY. 



As like produces like in the animal creation, so little produces 

 little in the vegetable world; and if you attempt to stint her in 

 the food necessary to bring vegetation to perfection, dame nature 

 will show proper resentment in giving you the dwarfs instead 

 of the giants of the vegetable world. 



In behalf of the committee, 



HORACE COLLAMORE. 



Statement of Morrill Allen. 



Early on my acquaintance with soils in the County of Ply- 

 mouth, I supposed the general interest demanded the conversion 

 of a large portion of our light and exhausted soils into forests- 

 The reclamation of them into profitable, cultivated fields, could 

 not be effected without a greatly increased population. By con- 

 verting them into forests, the condition of them is improved for 

 purposes of culture, if the wants of society should ever require 

 them for such use. 



In 1807, I purchased a piece of the Indian fields, so called, 

 exhausted so much that it produced very little of herbage ; it 

 was ploughed, and sprouts from locust trees transplanted into 

 it. This experiment was attended with satisfactory success. 

 The young locusts grew finely and gradually improved the soil. 

 The field, for a number of years, has afforded very decent pas- 

 turage, and the trees have been in cutting for timber. 



In 1819, a tract of land was purchased, on which there were 

 several exhausted fields, some of them have been seeded from 

 the neighboring forest, and some have been sown with different 

 kinds of seed, and with various success. Since 1819 exhausted 

 fields have been purchased to considerable extent, with a view 

 to their conversion into forests. But the contemplated course 

 has been to some extent obstructed by the necessity of fencing 

 the fields. Four or five acres of common land were sown in 

 1828 with white pine seed, in furrows cut about eight feet apart ; 

 the seed vegetated well, but sheep destroyed all the plants the 

 first season. This failure induced the adoption of another plan. 

 The field intended to be sown with forest seed, was fenced and 



