THE GROWTH OF TREES. 257 



escape our malediction ; and the cry of the blue 

 jay prompts me, at least, to be charitable. 



of 



IN the spring of 1835, a considerable num- 

 ber of white pines were planted about my resi- 

 dence. Of these fifteen are still standing, and 

 are apparently in full vigor. My uncle, who 

 planted these pines, states that they were of very 

 uniform size, their trunks measuring about two 

 and a half inches in diameter. At present the 

 smallest of the series measures forty-three 

 inches in circumference, four feet from the 

 ground, and the largest seventy-nine inches. 

 Nine of them vary from sixty-two to sixty-eight 

 inches. The average circumference of the fif- 

 teen trees is sixty- two and a half inches. 



These trees were not placed at uniform dis- 

 tances from each other, and some show the 

 certain ill-effect of overcrowding. This is con- 

 spicuously the case with three of the pines, and 

 these have suffered. Had the planting been 

 done with greater reference to the future, and an 

 equal chance given each tree, the average cir- 

 cumference would have been greater by at least 

 three inches ; the girth of the twelve largest 



