FOREST CONDITIONS IN DELAWARE. 



27 



sandy soils. It is much better adapted to the northern half of the State 

 than to the pine region, and is even to be preferred to loblolly pine in 

 this northern section, where, in fact, loblolly does not occur naturally. 

 Chestnut is the best species to encourage in the farmer's woodlot, as the 

 wood is excellent for posts and rails, and makes good firewood. When 

 grown for commercial purposes it brings the most profit in ties and 

 poles. (See figure 1.) The table below shows the average age, height, 

 and yield (either in ties or poles) of trees of different diameters of 

 sprout origin, based on measurements taken in the southern part of the 

 western peninsula of Maryland. 



AGE, HEIGHT AND YIELD OF CHESTNUT SPROUTS OF DIF- 

 FERENT DIAMETERS*. 



*Taken from "Chestnut in Southern Maryland," Bulletin No. 53, 

 Forest Service. 



The growth of chestnut seedlings is very much slower than that of 

 sprouts for the first thirty years or so, after which seedlings grow the 

 faster ; but seedlings are usually over ninety years old before they at- 

 tain the same dimensions as sprouts of a like age. Chestnut reproduces 

 itself by sprouts better than any other species, and most chestnut 

 trees in Delaware are of sprout origin. It can almost always be satis- 

 factorily reproduced in this manner, and planting only should be re- 

 sorted to when it is desired to grow the species in places where pre- 

 viously it did not exist. In order to get satisfactory sprout reproduc- 

 tion the mature tree should be cut before its sixtieth year, and the 



