49 



most of the pines. It also returns quickly to the soil the potash 

 and other mineral substances accumulated in fallen leaves, but 

 drives off the inorganic matter which would otherwise make the 

 soil more nitrogenous. It may destroy some insects which would 

 otherwise injure the trees. . . . (It) does very little harm to 

 the longleaf pine after that reaches the age of four or five years. 



"It can be safely asserted that there is not and never has 

 been a longleaf pine forest . . . which did not show evidences 

 of fire, such as charred bark near the bases of the trees; and 

 furthermore, that if it were possible to prevent forest fires 

 absolutely the longleaf pine — our most useful tree — would soon 

 become extinct. For where the herbage has not been burned 

 most of the pine seeds lodge in the grass and fail to germinate, 

 and if the oaks and other hardwoods were allowed to grow 

 densely they would prevent the growth of the pine, which 

 cannot stand much shade, especially when young. 



"At the present time most of the fires in the pine woods are 

 set purposely, to burn off the dead grass and improve the grazing. 

 This practice has been repeatedly denounced by persons who 

 have spent most of their lives outside of longleaf pine regions, 

 but really the only just criticism of it that can be made is that 

 it is done too often." 



There are two other parts of this report contemplated: " Part 

 II, a catalogue of the trees and shrubs, with their distribution 

 and economic properties; Part III, the medicinal plants, the 

 weeds and useful or noxious plants not included in the preceding 

 parts." Samuel J. Record 



Yale Forest School 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB 



December 9, 19 13 



The first regular meeting for the month of December was held 

 on the ninth at the Museum of Natural History at 8:15 P.M. 

 President Burgess presided. Sixteen persons were present. The 

 minutes of November 26 were read and approved. 



The announced program for the evening was an illustrated 



