FOR WHOLE TREES. 73 



are formed, and the tendency of the tree is to cover up by the newly 

 formed wood of each season's growth tho knots formed in early life by 

 the growth of small limbs which eventually die and drop off. 



Retardation in growth continues in mature trees until the rate of 

 growth in radius measured on the stump becomes less than one-tenth of 

 an inch in a period of ten years. Such a low rate is hardly sufficient to 

 sustain life, and it is safe to say that the deterioration in such trees will 

 more than offset increase in value due to growth. 



Lumber of all grades usually can be sawed from a fair sized mature 

 1r<M>. In the butt log will be found high grade, clear material, and in 

 large log's several boards of clear lumber may be sawed without chang- 

 ing the position of the log before defects in the form of knots are 

 reached. These knots found in the center of all butt logs are usually 

 si DM 11 and numerous, since they are the remaining evidence of limbs 

 formed in the early life of. the tree. They become smaller and more 

 numerous as the center of the log is approached. The mark of every 

 limb that the tree ever had at heights not exceeding the point where the 

 butt log was sawed are in evidence, and always have held the same 

 position in the tree that they originally held always the same distance 

 from the ground, etc. The butt log contains wood formed at all stages 

 of the tree's life. The quality ranges from clear, straight, fine-grained 

 material found in the layers near the bark to coarse-grained lumber 

 found below this, and, finally, to fine-grained lumber containing numer- 

 ous pin knots found in the center. 



The second log up from the stump contains none of the wood formed 

 while the tree's height was less than the length of the butt log plus the 

 height of the stump. The quality is about the same as found in the butt 

 log, with the exception that the clear material near the bark is not quite 

 as thick, and the knots in the center of the log are larger. This is due 

 to the fact that the tree was larger and older when the wood in the 

 center of the second log was formed, and therefore maintained a crown 

 composed of larger limbs than it did when forming the wood composing 

 the center of the butt log. 



The third log from the stump contains none of the wood formed while 

 the tree's height was less. than the length of the butt log plus the length 

 of the second plus the height of the stump. Stubs of the old limbs 

 which once formed the crown may be seen still penetrating through the 

 bark. Some of them may be between three and four inches in diameter, 

 and in cases where the tree grew in the open they may be still alive and 

 five or six inches in diameter. The quality of lumber to be expected 

 from this part of the tree may range from Number 1 Shop found near 

 the bark to Number 3 Shop, Number 3 Common and Box found in the 

 center. 



In all cases the knots will be much larger in the third log than in 

 the second, and larger in the second than in the butt log. The fourth 

 log up from the stump will contain none of the wood found while the 

 tree's height was less than the distance from the ground to the position 

 occupied in the tree by the large end of this log. Usually a great many 

 stubs of dead limbs are present and there may be quite a few live 

 branches. Only in exceptional cases will it be possible to saw clear 

 material from this part of the tree. The first cut generally yields 



