THE HARDWOODS OF THE SPESSARTS 301 



8-20 marks per hectare. As a result the logs bear witness. In 1911 the aver- 



they may get as high as 20,000 seedlings age price they received per stem of 



per hectare. (8,000 per acre.) oak was $142 (stems averaged a little 



At present they are doing little in less than 2,000 board feet apiece, making 



the way of artificial regeneration of the price about $75 per thousand on the 



beech, since in the words of Forst- stump). They have received as high 



meister Endres, "Beech is a weed in as 470 marks per cubic meter of oak or 



this locality, both as to germination an equivalent of about $375 per thou- 



and growth, and comes in the oak plan- sand board feet, 



tations of its own accord." For their veterans that are free from 



Frequent thinnings are made and if, branches for some distance above the 



as in some instances, the stand has come ground, there is great demand ; a butt 



up ragged, they will cut it clean and log that will run six meters free from 



get a coppice stand of greater regularity branches, is worth $250, and one that is 



and vigor. eleven meters in clear length brings 



In the past hogs were often pastured $750, on the stump. It is needless to 



in the woods at mast time to force the say that this class of material is most 



nuts and acorns into the ground. At economically used, being cut into the 



present, while a good deal of grazing is finest veneers. " _,.. 



permitted, no dependence is placed on For the stave material they i-'eceive 



way of getting a forest started ; artificial 42 marks per stare (7-10 of a cubic 



regeneration being the rule. meter), or about 40 cents per cubic 



The care which is exercised in the foot, while for their lop wood, etc., they 



proper utilization of their material and get about 1 1-4 cents per cubic foot, 



their efforts to keep up the value and Regarding the financial success of their 



reputation of their products is abun- methods, it has been found that the 



dantly justified, since the prices they compound interest charges very largely 



receive are enormous and Spessart oak eat up the profits on long rotations in 



is widely known for its quality and in spite of the enormous returns per acre, 



great demand. They are now planning to reduce the 



The very best sticks of clear oak are rotation to 250-300 years for the oaks 



sold for veneer, the lower grades are and to introduce the faster growing 



used for planks and staves, and the spruce and pine. 



tops and defective portions are made We have in our Southern Appala- 



into charcoal on the ground, thus mak- chians some of the finest natural hard- 



ing their utilization practically complete, wood land in the world; land far better 



The age of their largest trees (smaU suited for the raising of trees than for 



annual growth), of course insures the agriculture; land which in the memory 



fine texture and uniform quality needed of middle aged men, has been cleared, 



for the veneer industry. One reason tilled for a few years, and then allowed 



that was given here for the close planting to grow up to brush. It is eminently 



method and is found to prevail in other fitting that we profit by the example 



parts of Germany, is that this close of the Bavarian and Hessian foresters 



competition during the first decade or and turn this vast area, now producing 



two of the trees, prevents rapid spongy nothing but a fraction of its capacity, 



growth in the core. We have hardly into a magnificent hardwood producing 



reached the point in the United States region so that in the United States, 



where we care to sacrifice early volume Appalachian oak, like Spessart oak in 



growth for later quality. Germany, may be a term with which to 



That these efforts at price and quality conjure. With the vigorous extension of 



maintenance are not lost, the value of the Weeks Act it is not at all improbable. 



A California firm is selling eucalyptus charcoal at $24 a ton, as against $20 a ton for oak char- 

 coal. Since most of the California- grown eucalyptus do not make good lumber, uses for other products 

 of the tree are being sought. 



