2 R. T. Patton: 



allow for the variiitiou of the successive seasons, conditions of 

 environment, and any accidents. Some very wide fluctuations were 

 obtained, but these were discarded as being obviously not the normal 

 growth of the tree. On reference to Fig. 1 it Avill be seen that there 

 is a steady decline in the width of the ring. It is very apparent, 

 too, that the Avidth varies much less after the 30th year. This rapid 

 decrease to the 30th year, and then a more gradual decrease after 

 that, may indicate that the tree is entering on its manhood, so to 

 speak. The theoretical curve w'hich has been drawn indicates that 

 it will approach the abscissa very gradually, and this is what we 

 would expect. 



The differences between tlie width of the annual rings as the tree 

 gets older will be less and less. There is a point of interest here, 

 and that is that the enormous decrease in the width of the ring may 

 be due to overcrowding, or putting it in other words, that as the 

 trees grow older and so many are striving for the same light and 

 carbon dioxide, that the crown it not as large as it would Ije if the 

 forest were controlled. It was very apparent from a study of the 

 mature tress that width of ring is largely dependent on the distance 

 of the trees apart, for in many logs the original centre is well to one 

 side of the mature log. Some trees have limbs on the congested side 

 only 6 to 8 ft. long, while on the free side they are 15 to 20 ft. long. 

 The maintenance of a good head is important from a forestral 

 point of view. 



In Fig. 2 the curve is given for the diameter at each dei'ade. 

 The curve is remarkably even, and from it one may deduce the age 

 of a tree very approximately if the diameter (or girth) be known. 



It will be seen on inspection that the curve is flattening consider- 

 ably at the 80th year, and this again indicates that the tree is 

 making very little headway. The curve gives rather a remarkable 

 relation between diameter and years of growth. If we let ■z:=age of 

 the tree and 3/ = diameter in inches, we find that the equation ^^/x=y 

 is approximately the equation to the curve, and by using this equa- 

 tion we can arrive, approximately, at tjie age of trees grown in the 

 forest. 



The flattening of the curve at the 80th year is in accordance with 

 the narrowness of the rings iit these older years. In Fig. 3 is given 

 the amount of wood produced in each decade. It will l)e noticed 

 that the growth of the second decade is approximately twice that of 

 the first decade. The maximum growth occurs in the fifth decade. 

 To fully establish the year of maximum growth, more measurements 

 will be necessary, though the year may vary according to local 



