MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 189 



very rarely produce any good seed at all, and the older trees are being 

 so rapidly removed from the forest that reproduction, is hopeless. 



White Oal: — This species occurs along the well-drained banks of 

 streams and in alluvial soil generally. Originally, it occupied consider- 

 able areas of what is now agricultural land, and was largely associated 

 with the red and black oaks, which are similar in their requirements of 

 soil and moisture. There is considerable white oak scattered throughout 

 the county, but owing to poor transportation facilities, it has a rather 

 low stumpage value. The market demand for white oak ties and for 

 bridge timber is steadily increasing, since the red and black are no 

 longer accepted in this section by the principal railroads. The white 

 and other oaks are used more generally for fuel in this county than 

 any other timber, and command the highest prices for this purpose. A 

 good deal of white oak dimension stuff is used locally. Some piles are 

 cut and shipped out of the county. 



The white oak is being rapidly replaced by less valuable timber trees, 

 such as black jack and post oaks, persimmon, black gum, and scrub pine. 

 Reproduction by both seed and sprouts requires considerable sunlight, 

 which is often impossible imder the uns3'stematic selective method of 

 cutting now generally practiced. The older trees bear some seed every 

 year, but very few are left to spring up. Eodents of the forest are very 

 fond of the sweet meat of the white oak acorn, and so are the swine 

 which are left to run through the woods the greater part of the year. 



Chestnut. — The chestnut is peculiar to the higher, drier, and well- 

 drained slopes. Formerly this species was much more abundant than 

 it is now, at present being represented by old, and, frequently, over- 

 mature trees scattered through the forest. There is little tendency to 

 reproduce itself from seed, and the trees that are cut are frequently 

 too old to sprout well from the stump. In consequence, there is very 

 little chestnut left in the county. It is largely replaced by rock, post, 

 and black-jack oaks, scrub pine, and black gum. The dealers are eager 

 to buy the chestnut, and unless measures are adopted to extend and 

 maintain the growth within a few years, very little of this timber will be 

 available. Woodlot owners cut their chestnut for fencing material before 



