No. 4.] TIMBER AS A CROP. 33 



conviction — I know it from experience, from observation, 

 and I believe in it from the philosophy of things — that you 

 can take these two hundred thousand acres of waste land in 

 this glorious old Commonwealth, and in a few years clothe 

 them with the rich vesture of a timber forest that shall be 

 worth hundreds of dollars per acre, even at the present low 

 prices, and that in the aggregate will add scores of millions 

 of dolhirs to the property of your State, and greatly increase 

 the beauty of the landscape. Many believe the influence 

 upon the climate, as regards temperature, rainfall and health- 

 iness, would be of immense importance. 



Gentlemen of the worthily famous Old Bay State, it is not 

 fitting that you let more than a quarter million acres of your 

 old homesteads, once covered with trees and then with farm 

 crops, lie lifeless and worthless barrens. These lands are 

 not necessarily barren, they are not dead ; they are simply 

 in coma, and need but the touch of the true forester to 

 spring into life as did the son of the widow of Nain at the 

 touch of Jesus. Park the barrens with timber forests, and 

 future generations shall bless your memories. 



The Chairman. Now comes the verj^ interesting part of 

 the meeting, — the discussion of the lecture. The lecturer 

 is ready to answer questions. 



Mr. Pratt. To just what distance apart would you ad- 

 vise us to thin our pines, in order to get the best results in 

 growing them for timber ? 



Mr. Lyman. It is impossible for me to answer that ques- 

 tion. I have been studying that problem for years. Mr. 

 Fernow wrote me that my pines were past redemption, that 

 I had not one where I ought to have four. They at fifty 

 years of age stood two hundred and sixteen per acre. When 

 Mr. Cary came and measured my pines he told me he had 

 found none equal to them at their age. It will depend a 

 great deal upon what kind of timber you want to grow. 

 If you are going to grow mast trees, you cannot grow 

 many to the acre. You can grow a great many more box- 

 board trees. In some sections it would be profitable to put 

 the trees you cut out in the thinnings into the various uses 

 for which their size fits them, say first thinning into kindling 



