580 



AAiERICAN FORESTRY 



when cypreSs is given favorable conditions for develop- The trunk is unprotected and shows numerous scars 

 ment, such as on cut-over lands or in the open, both where horses have gnawed it, but each time it has 

 diameter and height growth are found to be moderately ra[)idly healed its wounds. It is surprising that any 

 rapid and well maintained. The average diameter in- tree can maintain itself in thrifty condition luider such 

 crease in such cases varies from ly^ to 3 inches in 10 extremely adverse conditions. 



years. The average height growth up to about 100 years The attractiveness and vigor of bald cypress un- 

 of age is about 1 foot per year, the rate being consider- doubtedly will cause it to be planted much more ex- 

 ably more rapid during the first fifty years than after. tensively for ornamental purposes than it has been up 

 Few coniferous seedlings grow so vigorously from seed to the present time. It is hardy as far north as Massa- 

 during the chusetts, New 



years of in- ■, - ^ V i York and 



fancy. Cy- Y -- \ /^ 'I Michigan, and 



press seedlings ^ . ' ^>=-^.^ l f '~^;-t /,,i^ "V"! /^ '^''^ "° insect 



reach a height ■ ^^"^-.^ I i -"''■•"" ^^ "^'''Vr" — ' ^^ enemies. It 



of from 8 to 14 ^ "Of "^y^ ..-'•■^''^"^'li J^^^ should be 



inches the fir.st \ '^"^^^^^Jr -i^, ^P^^' /C^ ^ »|^W**'^-" planted in 



year and 16 to ^ "~~S^.f^'^^^^-^J^^'^^^^ deep, fine 



24 inches the t^^'^'^-^ < ' /"^N^ i | - '^***?^^tfB^~~^ sandy loam 



second year. "~%;^<=^Vv-52^^^^^^HI 'If , -. ^_ ..,^_J^Br^^ where moist- 



Cypress also - S.iS^'ij ^^ j^p-i:. _j .y ^'^"'^f^''^~"^^^^Mli' " '-"^^^^'^ ure is plenti- 



possesses the ^'^^t^^ ^^"^3''^- ^fJ-'^ -■■ ^ ' J ^e'^ ^ i ^^^^ fi^'l s'ld drain- 



ability to heal V''^''^^^^."-^ -■v.^M**^^ i^y^''^ -^B^^ffiMJj^ ' ''^^^***' '^S^ good, if it 



wounds in the ' ^^'^/'Y^^Lr"k^4''*V---^j^'''^^M^*^^^^^^^^iJ ' ^ desired t o 



bark at a rapid y ■' H|i'Brv'rs^r^¥'Jq^r'^ — i ir*^ ^^^ ai^^^iME|j<^ secure rapid 



rate. So strong /} '"^i \'d^Z~^^~''-^L i^S^-^^^'' " \ 4HlBB*i^^Sfe''^a«.-.»^ growth. It 



is this power 

 that stumps 2 

 feet in diame- 

 ter are occa- 

 sionally found 

 that have 

 healed over 

 and are still 

 alive several 

 years after the 

 tree has been 

 cut, although 

 without pro- 

 ducing sprouts. 



' Cypress inhabits permanent swamps much too wet for agriculture and most other uses, except when drained. The 



Tohn Bartram present logging of cypress is attended by difficulties of a kind unknown in handling any other commercial timber. 



-" The bulk of all cypress is now logged by massive steam machinery moved from place to place on railroads built 



nlanted a small mto the deepest parts of swamps over soft and treacherous ground. Another method is called pull-boat logging. nrnvp n val- 



piaiiL^u a. jjnaii The pull-boat has a stationary cngin^ mounted on a float or barge and it skids the cypress over the soft surface for piuvc d vcti 



uable tree for 



which he is which the logs are brought in by a carriage traveling over a powerful cable suspended between the "head tree ■" r n in m p r r i t 1 

 and "tail tree," usually 600 feet apart. It is the general practice to girdle or "belt " cvoress trees from 6 months v- u 111 iii c i <_ 1 d 1 



said 



CYPRESS ON LAKE DRUMMOND IN THE DISMAL SWAMP 



does fairly 

 well in d r y 

 situations o n 

 the heavier 

 soils and will 

 also grow 

 when planted 

 in swamps or 

 even in shallow 

 I londs ; in the 

 latter case the 

 loots send up 

 the curious 

 ''knees.'' 

 Bald cypress 

 should also 



access to cypress where natural channels are lacking. Another method of logging is by the overhead skidder, in 

 which the logs are brought in by a carriage traveling over a powerful cable suspended between the "head tree" 

 and "tail tree," usually 600 feet apart. It is the general practice to girdle or "belt" cypress trees from 6 months 

 have ^° ^ ^^" '" ^'l^^"'^^ °f logging. The result is that about 95 per cent of the logs will float instead of 10 to 20 forest olant- 



the 



to 



pulled in the ing, especially 



swamps of Florida and brought home in his saddle-bags, on sites where it is too wet for other species to thrive. 



The tree has been dead for many years, hut its skeleton On a good class of hardwood soils, experience in Ohio 



still stands in Bartram's garden in Philadelphia. In the seems to indicate that the tree will grow with sufficient 



century and a quarter of its growth the tree attained a rapidity to warrant its being used quite generally. Under 



height of more than 150 feet and a diameter of 7 feet. culti\ation the trees grow from 18 to 24 feet in height 



The vitality of the bald cypress is illustrated by a tree in the first 10 years. It is not difficult to raise the seed- 



which stands at the corner of 13th and Locust streets, lings provided the seeds are soaked in water for about 



Philadelphia. This tree is about 60 feet high and more a month prior to sowing. They should be sowed about 



than a foot in diameter, and is ap])areiUly in perfect the middle of June and afterward the seed-bed should 



health, although long exjiosed to the smoke and dust of be kejit mulched and well watered. 



the city. Except an opening less than 30 inches square, The wood of bald cypress ranks between white pine 

 where the tree stands, every foot of soil the roots can and the hard \clliiw pines in weight, strength and stiff- 

 reach is covered by brick sidewalks and asphalt paving. ness. The himiier shrinks and swells to a limited extent 



