264 [Assembly 



Solon Robinson, Henry Meigs, and John Hooper, w2io were 

 appointed at the last meeting of the Club to examine " Waring'g- 

 Elements of Agriculture," lately published by Appletons, made 

 a report in favor of the book, stating that no school should be 

 without it. 



The report was unanimously adopted by the Club. 



Judge Meigs read from the report of Mr. Flint, Secretary of 

 Massachusetts Agricultural Society, upon the pitch-pine, which 

 states that this tree flourishes best in soil worn out for purposes 

 of agriculture. Pines can be raised from seeds, or by transplant- 

 ing. They should be planted upon poor land. Take care not to- 

 bruise the root in transplanting; that is the great trouble in mov- 

 ing all pines. With care they may be safely transpla,nted any 

 month of the year. 



PINE TREES. 

 The report of Secretary Flint gives a very valuable instrnctioB' 

 as to the culture of our invaluable pine trees. 



Pitch pine wants sandy land, or land worn out by bad farmings- 

 Gather the cones of these trees in October, before frost has opened 

 their bracts which contain the seeds; keep these dry, or dry 

 them artificially. When they are dry, the bracts open and the 

 pine seeds drop out, or you can thresh them out. Clean the seed 

 by rubbing and winnowing; sow these seed pretty thickly in beds. 

 When they are three years old, you may set them out at almost 

 any season of the year, and they will succeed if you carefully 

 save the bark of their roots from bruises; it is safer to cut off the 

 roots than to l)ruise the bark of the roots. A thousand white 

 pines were so earefully transplanted that only one or two were 

 lost, by a farmer in Bristol county. 



The seed may be sown either in autumn or early in spring. 

 Some, to save the labor of transplanting from beds, plough fur- 

 rows six feet apart, and drop the seed two feet apart in the fur- 

 lows. A machine has been invented and used for planting the 

 seed, it costs from $3.50 to $5.00. About a quart of seed is al- 

 lowed to four acres. 



