No. 4.] NEW ENGLAND PASTURES. 19 



helped immensely if he has some woodland coming into 

 market, so that he can sell some timber about once in five 

 years. He should have his waste lands set out to timber, 

 and the timber growing while he sleeps. I have in mind 

 one little parcel of land of about 12 acres, that was taxed for 

 $120 in 1876, and which was sold the other day for $2,500. 

 In another case a man who had other resources bought a 

 farm in the town of Petersham, some forty or fifty years 

 ago, for $3,800. He did little real farming, but lot it grow 

 u]i to wood and timber, and within a year it was sold for 

 $35,000. I do not wish to be understood as advocating the 

 policy of doing nothing and letting your farm grow up to 

 wood, — there is reason in everything, — these are simply 

 rather extreme illustrations of what can be got out of lands 

 that are of little or no value, even for jjasture, when they are 

 seeded to the proper wood growths; and that it is not wise 

 to have all your eggs in one basket, — even the dairy basket. 

 The lecturer has pointed out the fallacy of trying to get 

 something for nothing out of our pastures, and we old dairy- 

 men must, most of us, plead guilty. Take a tract of a few 

 acres in the pasture, that is level, where the cows have been 

 resting, and let the farmer plow it and plant corn or pota- 

 toes, later turning it back into the pasture. That soil is 

 rich, and he gets a good crop, and thinks it is still as good as 

 ever for pasture. Perhaps it is, but he has been robbing the 

 land. 



Mrs. J. F. Adai^is. I would like to ask Mr. Cotton how 

 much lime it would pay us to use on our pastures on Martha's 

 Vineyard, when we have to pay $25 freight on $30 worth of 

 lime ? x\lso, I would like to ask Professor Eane how we can 

 make white pine grow ? 



Mr. Cotton. The person owning the land will have to 

 figure out whether he or she can afi^ord to go to the necessary 

 expense to carry out any recommendations I may make. In 

 your case I would try it in an experimental way at first; but 

 you seem to be solving your problems pretty well as they arise. 



Professor Rane. It is certainly a problem whether white 

 pine will grow on Martha's Vineyard. On the Vineyard and 

 Nantucket the winds are so severe that when the trees get to a 



