370 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



seed heads when ripe, I have always found my hands and arms more or 

 less marked with purple blotches, or blisters filled with water; and this 

 happens whenever the leaf or cut stern rubs ag^ainst the skin, except the 

 hardened inside of the hands. Some persons suffer very severely whenever 

 the5 undertake this work. But it does not necessarily follow that this 

 juice would be poisonous if taken into the stomach, for many substances 

 that poison the skin have no sensible effect on the ceatings of the stomach. 

 I have never suffered any inconvenience of this sort in weeding- the parsnip 

 beds the first season, though I always work with rolled up sleeves in warm 

 weather. The parsnip is, as far as my experience goes, invariably a bien- 

 nial plant, always dying when it has perfected its seed. When pulling up 

 the old roots after gathering the seed, Lhave never seen one that did not 

 show itself to be decidedly dead. If it were prevented by repeatedly cut- 

 ting down the flowering stem, from maturing its seed, very likely it might 

 live a longer time. I know that to be the case with some other plants. 

 We often use parsnips without harm that have stood out over the winter 

 and after the leaves begin to grow. After seed stems form, the roots are 

 unfit for eating, being woody and not sweet." 



Planting Forest Trees upon Prairies. . 



Smith R. Gunn, Lansing, Union county, Minnesota, wants information 

 about cultivating trees upon the prairie, which, if it could be successfully 

 accomplished, he tliinks "would add many millions-of dollars to the value 

 of the west, and give vast additions to the supply of food at the east. The 

 question arises how can timber be got to supply the wants of the country? 

 If planting is the way to get it, how can it be got the quickest and best 

 way; and what are the kinds to plant; how obtain the seeds, and when 

 plant them; how far apart should they be planted, and how cultivated. 



''We have growing in some sections of this county basswood, red and 

 white oak, shell bark hickory, black walnut, butternut, sugar and soft ma- 

 ple, white and slippery elm, black and gray or white ash; the black and 

 yellow locusts are growing well where planted; and there is also a tree 

 here called popple, which is a rapid grower, is soft wood, of not much value, 

 makes rather a poor quality of firewood, and soon decays; yet I think in 

 planting a forest of timber it would be desirable, as it would be fit for use 

 earlier than any other timber, and would make a supply until better tim- 

 ber could grow. Chestnut timber, I am told, grows rapidly. Now, what 

 I would like from the Club is information how-to obtain the seeds of the 

 different kinds of trees enumerated; when they maybe gathered, and at 

 what time be planted; the distance apart they should stand in the forest, 

 and the manner of cultivation; how many acres of timber should be plant- 

 ed to each farm of 160 acres, and such other information and suggestions 

 as the Club may give. ' 



There has always been a difficulty in transporting seeds of forest trees, 

 because several sorts will not readily germinate after having become dry. 

 Chestnuts, hickory, acorn, and similar seeds should be gathered when fully 

 ripe and packed in damp sand or moss, for transportation, and then placed 

 in layers in boxes of earth to sprout, where the rodent animals will not eat 



