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shoots out of the ground, and the nuts did not swell suf- 

 ficiently to burst their shells. But those sown by broad 

 strow came up pretty well, and I had them transplanted 

 into a part of the nursery. From these circumstances I 

 concluded that the acorns and nuts planted in the nursery, 

 were put into the ground too early in the autumn, and were 

 covered much too deep." 



After narrating several subsequent experiments, Col. 

 Dodge said : " 1 have found that both acorns and nuts 

 vegetate best when only covered over so lightly as that no 

 part of them can be seen above the surface." He had 

 " growing on the 13th of October, 1801, liom the acorns, 

 nuts, elm and ash-seed which he had planted, two thousand 

 seven hundred and ninety-two white and yellow oaks — four 

 hundred and twelve shag-bark walnuts, forty-eight oilnuts, 

 one hundred|and ten chestnuts, two hundred and thirty-nine 

 elms, and forty-one white ash ; — the whole number, three 

 thousand six hundred and forty-two." Some of the elms 

 now adorn the Salem Common. 



Col Timothy Pickering encircled his estate at Wenham 

 with evergreens which now mark it to the passer-by on the 

 railroad. Gorham Parsons planted rare and beautiful forest 

 trees on his "Fatherland Farm" in Byfield, and his example 

 was followed by E. Hersey Derby at South Salem. But 

 comparatively few forest trees were planted in Essex Coun- 

 ty during the first two decades of the present century. 



Meanwhile nearly all of the forest trees in the county 

 were felled. Large numbers of vessels were launched from 

 the ship-yards which dotted the coast, varying in size from 

 the frigate Constitution and Essex, down to the pink-sterned 

 Chebacco boats used by the hardy fishermen. Churches, 

 houses and barns had massive oaken frames, white pine 

 boards of almost fabulous width were used for flooring and 

 wainscotting, and rift cedar shingles kept out the rain for 

 at least two generations. Hoops and pipe-staves were 



