THE FARM OF THE FIRST MINISTER. 20, 



three dollars per ton. As a general thing, the heavier the grass, 

 the less the cost of its conversion to hay. Hay caps have been 

 tried and discarded as unnecessary. In uncertain weather, the 

 hay cocks are sometimes doubled up. No spirit is allowed in 

 the fields and no haying is done on Sunday. The extra mow- 

 ing machine and horse rake are kept to avoid delays by repairs 

 in case of accidents. 



FORESTS. 



As before stated, when the present proprietor assumed con- 

 trol of the Farm of the First Minister, two hundred and fifty 

 acres of it were in forest. 



About sixty of these were upon the sandy plain east of the 

 Merrimack and were covered with pitch pines {Pinus rigidd), 

 some of which were of primeval growth. The remainder of 

 the farm's forest was upon the high ground rising up from the 

 interval to the westward. This consisted of deciduous trees 

 with which were mingled, more or less, pines and hemlocks, 

 with now and then a spruce. They were of all ages. Many 

 of them, however, having attained maturity were declining in 

 vigor and value. 1 



1 The following 1 is a list of the principal trees and shrubs growing upon the 

 First Minister's Farm in November, 1895: 



American Linden, Tilia Americana; Rock Maple, Acer saccharinum; Red 

 Maple, Acer rubrum; White Maple, Acer dasycarpum; Striped Maple, Acer 

 Pennsylvannicum; Hornbeam, Nyssa silvatica; White Ash, Fraxinus Ameri- 

 cana; Brown Ash, Fraxinus sambucifolia ; American Elm, Ulmus Americana; 

 Slippery Elm, Ulmus fulva; Butternut, Juglans cinnerea; Hickory, Carya 

 alba; White Oak, Quercus alba; Black Oak, Quercus tinctorea; Red Oak, 

 Quercus rubra; Beech, Fagus ferruginea; Chestnut, Castanea vulgaris; Lever 

 Wood, Ostrya Virginnica ; Black Birch, Betula lenta; Yellow Birch, Betula 

 lutea; White Birch, Betula papyrifera; Grey Birch, Betula alba; White Wil- 

 low, Salix alba, and several other species; American Aspen, Populus tremu- 

 loides; White Pine, Pinus Strobus; Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida; Norway Pine, 

 Pinus resinosa; Black Spruce, Picea nigra; Balsam Fir, Abies balsamea; Hem- 

 lock, Tsuga Canadensis; American Larch, Larix Americana. 



There were also scattered among these trees a few very old white pines 

 (Pumpkin Pines), four feet, and often more, in diameter at the butt. Such 

 pines were not uncommon in Concord fifty j r ears ago, but very few, if any such, 

 now remain. 



Woodbine, Ampelopsis quinquefolia; Buckthorn, Bhamnus catharticus; 

 Climbing Bittersweet, Celastrus scandens; Poison Ivy, Ehus toxicodendron: 

 Choke Cherry, Prunus Virginiana; Red Hardhack, Spirea tomentosa; Wild 

 Red Raspberry, Bubus strygosus; High Blackberry, Bubus villosus; Sweet 

 Briar, Bosa rubiginosa; Witch Hazel, Hamamelis Virginica; Common Elder, 

 Sambucus Canadensis; Button Bush, Cephalanthus occidentalis; High Blue, 



