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Show LI AST TREES FOR THE'cRCWN Mark of the Broad Arrow Was Placed on Pines in the Plymouth Colony. In the provincial charier of 1691, ander which the Plymouth colony and the province of Maine wcro united with Massachusetts, it was provided that all trees of the diameter of 124 Inches and upward of 12 Inches from the ground, growing upon land not lierrtofore granted to any private person, per-son, should be reserved to the crown 1 r the furnishing of masts for the royal navy. Harper's Weekly oh-f oh-f erTes, A kiirveyor general of woods was appointed ap-pointed to see that this provision of the charter "was carried into effect. Near lite coast all white pines of suitable suit-able dimensions were marked with the "broad nrrow" 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 liad ?H!tu taught in boyhood to re-skci re-skci the king's mark hesitated to cut s'ich trees. In felling a tree it was necessary to 'bed if 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 ftrfcin upon one section more than upon another when the monster pine 6truck ground. The mast was hauled out of the woods on one strong sled, whether in v 'tiler or summer, and so many oxen v.'cre required that the hind pair were often choked in crossing a hollow, being be-ing rung up in. their yoke by the pull-ins pull-ins of those ahead of them. A mast hauling was a great event, nd everybody within walking distance dis-tance came to see it. |