44 TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



The cones were dried and threshed in a barn near Willsboro, rented 

 temporarily for this purpose, after which the seeds were cleaned and win- 

 nowed in a fanning mill of the kind used by farmers. 



A bushel of white pine cones yields on an average a little over one pound 

 of clean seed, which contains about 29,500 grains. As the foresters received 

 500 bushels of cones they secured over 500 pounds of clean seed. This 

 supply cost 47^ cents per pound, not including the foresters' expenses or 

 the purchase of some material which was charged to the permanent plant, 

 and is available for future work of this kind. As the market price of white 

 pine seed runs from $2.50 to $4.50 per pound, according to the absence of 

 a seed year and its scarcity, it will be seen that the work was timely and 

 economical. 



Part of this stock is needed for the seed beds in our nurseries during the 

 years that must intervene before another supply can be gathered, and the 

 remainder will be used for broadcast sowing in the field or for seed-spot 

 planting. Next year the red spruce will bear cones, and the seed gathering 

 that season will be directed to that important species. 



v5t. L/Oais Exposition 



An exhibit was made by this Commission at the Louisiana Purchase 

 Exposition, held at St. Louis, Mo., during the past year. The exhibit was 

 made, as I understand it, in compliance with an urgent invitation from 

 the State Board of Commissioners for the fair, who generously set apart 

 out of their appropriation the sum of $18,000 for this purpose. 



The work of collecting and preparing articles suitable for a display was 

 commenced in January, and on May 1st, the opening day of the Exposition, 

 the exhibit was completely installed and ready for the inspection of visitors. 

 The collection was placed in charge of Mr. A. B. Strough, of this Depart- 

 ment, who went to St. Louis in April, and attended to the unpacking and 

 arrangement of the various articles. He remained there during the entire 

 time, and supervised the boxing and shipment of the goods in December. 

 Much of the success of the exhibit is due to his intelligent management and 

 diligent attention to every detail connected with its installation. The fair 

 closed December 1st, after which the greater part of the material was- 



