120 



Having the honor to hold a place on the same Committee, 

 the present year, which Committee not having been called on 

 by the Chairman to attend to any claims for our premiums, it 

 occurred to me to present to the Society some further account 

 of the success of that experiment, and also some observations 

 upon the subject of forest trees in general. 



I did not at the time think that the amount of wood and 

 timber in the county was likely to be greatly increased by the 

 experiment ; and by the report of the Chairman, as published 

 in the Transactions of 1839, I am led to think they were also 

 nearly of the same opinion ; but as he had tried an experi- 

 ment, and was the only applicant, our first premium, of thirty 

 dollars was awarded. 



The land was not well adapted to the growth of the kinds of 

 trees for which our premium was offered. It had never been 

 ploughed, or pulverized, or cleared of roots and rubbish, ex- 

 cept one acre. Furrows had been drawn across it, ten feet 

 apart, and in the springs of 1836 and 1837, three pounds of, 

 locust seed had been sown ; and in the fall of 1837, between 

 one and two bushels of white oak acorns were planted, all of 

 both kinds, along these furrows, in which they were covered 

 with earth. From the locust seed, he supposed more than ten 

 thousand plants came up ; but from the acorns, not a single 

 plant ! 



To secm-e the germination of the locust, he thinks it abso- 

 lutely necessary to soak the seed in hot water — of course not 

 too hot ; and he he imputes the total absence of young oaks to 

 an early frost injuring the acorns ; but as they could be easily 

 found scattered along in rows, and slightly covered, I should 

 rather charge it to the squirrels. 



I Avould suggest to any person disposed hereafter to plant a 

 forest, to completely pulverize the whole soil, and sow the 

 seed broadcast on the furrows, and of various kinds, and at all 

 depths. 



As Mr. Webster sowed but two kinds of seed, and but one 

 came up at all, we were called upon to look at only quite a 



