Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 501 



beacon-lights of greatness — the arts and manufactures — extin- 

 guished; and the sole cause was the scarcity of wood. And yet, 

 in regions where it is now plentiful, the same improvident waste is 

 going on, as though the supply was inexhaustible, and that no 

 deleterious efi'ects would result from a total annihilation. It would 

 be folly for me to attempt to estimate the value of forests to any 

 country; for it is beyond the comprehension of the human mind. 



The rain and deAv that refresh and support vegetation; the rivers 

 and rivulets that pour down from the mountains and hills, often 

 owe their very existence to the great forests. This view of the 

 subject, you may say, is only visionary and theoretical. Be this as 

 it may, I would remind you of one simple fact, and that is: all we 

 know of trees, or are likely to know of them, has its origin in the 

 great primeval forests. It is. by studying^ the natural distribution 

 and characteristics of the different species that enables us to culti- 

 vate them successfully. We learn from nature that certain species 

 of oak flourish far better upon a heavy, moist soil, than in one of 

 an opposite character; ,aud the same is true of almost every other 

 genus. The chestnut prefers the old red standstone regions, and 

 avoids the limestone, while the reverse is true with the hard^maple 

 and beech. The elm and soft maple grow more luxuriantly in the 

 low alluvial soils near our rivers, than elsewhere. By further 

 investigation we find that the quality of the wood is greatly influ- 

 enced by the soil upon which it is grown. For instance, hickoiy 

 that grows upon a sandy soil is far more brittle and less valuable 

 than when grown upon a rich, deep clay; but just the opposite of 

 this is true in regard to the common locust. 



We also learn from nature some of our most practical lessons in 

 regard to the growing of trees from seeds. A. few species ripen 

 their seeds early in the season, and these must be planted very 

 soon thereafter, as they will seldom remain sound until the follow^ 

 ing spring. This is particularly the case with the elm. Swamp 

 and silver maple, or their seeds, ripen about the 1st of June; but 

 the sugar and negundo maple do not perfect their seeds until 

 autumn, consequently, they may be sown at that time, or preserved 

 in any moist, cool place until spring. The different species of 

 foreign maples, such as Norway, English, and Sycamore, ripen 

 their seeds about the same time as our sugar maple, and may be 

 treated in the same manner. Chestnut, oak, hickory, beech, black 

 walnut, butternut, &c., all ripen their seeds in autumn; and I 

 believe it is the best plan to sow them soon after being gathcrpd, 



