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Show MAST TREES FOR THE CROWN Mark of the Broad Arrow Was Placed on Pines in the Plymouth Colony. In the provincial charter ot 1691, under which the Plymouth colony and the province of , Maine were united with Massachusetts, it was provided that all trees of the diameter of 24 Inches and upward of 12 inches from the ground, growing upon land not heretofore granted to any private per-Bon, per-Bon, should be reserved to the crown fi r the furnishing of masts for the oyal navy. Harper's Weekly observes. ob-serves. A surveyor general of woods was appointed ap-pointed to see that this provision of the charter was carried into effect. Near the coast all white pines of suitable suit-able dimensions were marked with the "broad arrow" three cuts through the bark with an ax, like the track of a crow. This was the king's mark. Long after the revolution had obliterated oblit-erated the royal authority men who had been taught in boyhood to re-Bpect re-Bpect the king's mark hesitated to cut such trees. In felling a tree it was necessary to "bed it" to prevent its breaking. This was done by cutting the small growth and placing small trees across the hollow, so that there should be no strain upon one section more than apon another when the monster pine struck ground. The mast was hauled out of the woods on one strong sled, whether in winter or summer, and so manyoxen were required that the hind pair were often choked in crossing a hollow, being be-ing hung up in their yoke by the puU-Ing puU-Ing of those ahead df them. A mast hauling was a great event, and everybody within walking distance dis-tance came to see it. |