A WOODLOT FROM WIIirH THE BLIGriT-DAMAr; KD CHESTNUT HAS BEEN CUT INTO CORDWOOD 



Uses for Blight-Killed Chestnut ^Bl 



^:=i^^]t 



In a recent issue of HARnwoOD Kecoiid ;i number of uses fuv 

 blight-killed chestnut timber were discussed. To that list should be 

 added several others of considerable importance. The damage already' 

 caused by the disease is so great that every reasonable effort should 

 be made to salvage as mu(-h of the material as possible to prevent 

 its waste. Everjono has been hoping that the blight would not 

 jjenetrate tl^p valuable southern forests of chestnut, but recent in- 

 vestigations disclose that it is rapidly gaining a foothold there. So far 

 as known no plant has ever been exterminated by disease and it seems 

 unlikely that chestnut will be exterminated. On the other hand the 

 history of this blight is unparalleled in the annals of plant pathology 

 and no one can predict the outcome. The menace is so great that 

 every owner of chestnut trees should be thoroughly alive to the situa- 

 tion and take such steps as will best protect him from unnecessary loss. 



On account of its durability, chestnut is well suited for piles, 

 posts and rails. In southern New England piling is sold l)y the 

 running foot to an upper diameter of seven inches. Twenty cents 

 per running foot is the common selling price for forty to forty-five- 

 foot piles. Specifications for chestnut fence posts usually call for 

 material sound and free from shakes and rotten knots, seven and 

 a half to eight feet long, with six inches top diameter, and with 

 bark removed. They sell for from fourteen to thirty-five cents a 

 piece, depending on the demand. The average life of a chestnut 

 post is ten years, exceeding that of white oak and being about half 

 as great as locust and Osage orange. Posts treated with creosote 

 last twice as long. Bailing sells for about three cents per running 

 foot, delivered along the road. It is used to a diameter at the smaller 

 end of about four inches. 



Nearly two and one-half billion board feet of timber is used every 

 year in the United States in connection with mining. Chestnut is 

 well suited to this purpose because of its durability, and as Penn- 

 sylvania leads all other states in the use of mine timbers it is 



:i2— 



apparent that a good market is at hand for much blight-killed 

 material in event the disease becomes virulent in the western part 

 of the state. Sound dead timber is just as good for this purpose 

 as timber cut from live trees. Props and posts are from six to ten 

 feet long and have a cross-sectional area of not less than sixteen square 

 inches at the top. Timbers may be used in the round or sawed. The 

 average life of a chestnut mine prop, so far as decay is concerned, 

 is five years, equalling white oak. Where treated with creosote the 

 life is considerably more than doubled. Ties for mining trams are 

 mcstly five feet long .-uid vary from four to six inches in width and 

 thickness. 



While a large amount of chestnut wood is used for fuel, as a rule 

 the sale price barely covers the cost of getting it to market. The 

 cost of cutting the green wood is about ninety cents per stacked 

 cord of four-foot wood. Dead material is harder to cut and the 

 cost is increased accordingly. The selling price varies from $3.0(> 

 to $4.25 a cord. For ordinary purposes chestnut is not prized as a 

 fuel as the wood is light and burns up quickly; it crackles and throws 

 sparks too much for open fire places. If split fine it makes excellent 

 kindling. In some localities there is considerable demand for chestnut 

 for use in lime and brick kilns. In places where there is no market 

 for eordwood the small-sized material can often be made into charcoal 

 at a small profit. W'hile the returns are in no ease large they do 

 afford a fair wage at a time when other employment is slack. 



For the annealing of brass no other wood has been found so 

 satisfactory as chestnut. The brass bars or plates are placed iu 

 a furnace so as to be exposed to the direct flame of the burning 

 wood. If hard wood like oak is used the fire is so hot that there 

 is great danger of burning the metal, while soft woods like pine 

 contain so much resin that the resulting soot blackens it so much 

 that subsequent cleaning is very difficult. In localities where there 

 are no chestnut trees pine, especially the refuse from box factories. 



