THE ORIGIN AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF 

 CHESTNUT SPROUTS. 



By W. R. Mattoon, F. E. 



In a silvical study which the writer made in southern Connecti- 

 cut the aim was to determine the leading facts concerning the 

 origin of sprouts and their growth during the first few years, 

 and, in addition, the variations under definite known conditions. 

 As the Chestnut, Castanea dentata, Borkh., is one of the more 

 valuable species of forest trees of the northeastern states, the 

 study has a bearing on the practical problem of forest manage- 

 ment. The principal region of study was a mixed hardwood 

 tract of some 400 acres near New Haven, Connecticut, known 

 as the Maltby tract. This region has been cut over repeatedly 

 under the coppice system, in rotation of 20 to 70 years. In it 

 at least four forest types are clearly demarkated, corresponding 

 with regularity to definite site conditions : 



(a) Bottomland type: This occurs in the moist soil of de- 

 pressions and along streams, the species giving character to the 

 type being Red Maple, Ash, Red Oak, Chestnut and Tulip, (b) 

 Chestnut type: Around the borders of the depressions, the pre- 

 ceding type is apt to grade into one in which the Chestnut domi- 

 nates, although seldom forming over 50 per cent, of the stand. 

 In this collar of the low basins, the soil is deep and drainage 

 good, thus bringing about the optimum situation for the Chest- 

 nut, (c) Oak Ridge type: This type covers the rocky ridges and 

 plateaus where the soil is frequently shallow and relatively dry; 

 a site, where growth is still possible and blanks are not in- 

 frequent; Chestnut Oak, White Oak and Hickory mark the 

 type, (d) Average Hardwood type: This is distinctly an inter- 

 mediate type, occurring on situations midway between the Bot- 

 tomland and Oak Ridge types, and constitutes in area approxi- 

 mately 40 per cent, of the stand. The mixture is quite uniform, 

 of Red Oak, Chestnut, Hickory, with Maple, Birch and Chest- 

 nut Oak. The tract is in many respects a good type of the pre- 

 vailing woodlands of Southern New England, and affords ample 

 material for the study of the reproductive capacity of the Chest- 

 nut in its various stages, including - advanced decline. 



