TREES AND THEIR VALUE FOR PLANTING 85 



a more tolerant tree, like white pine or Norway spruce or red 

 oak, to maintain forest conditions. 



Box Elder (Acer negitndo). Box elder is distributed gen- 

 erally throughout the eastern part of the country, occurring 

 as scattered trees or groups among other hardwoods. It occurs 

 naturally in the deep, moist, soil of valleys and on the borders 

 of lakes and swamps, but it will grow on deep, sandy soil, and 

 will bear exposure and thrive on rocky slopes and on the semi- 

 arid prairies. It is a small tree, rarely exceeding 30 to 40 feet 

 in height and I to 2 feet in diameter. It is usually a rapidly 

 growing tree, but its growth depends largely on the character 

 of the soil. The wood is soft, weak, light, close grained, and 

 creamy white in color. Its principal use is for firewood, and 

 it is occasionally used for interior finish, woodenware, cheap 

 furniture and paper pulp. Maple sugar is sometimes made 

 from the sap. The seed is produced in great abundance. 

 They should be stratified in moist sand over winter, and 

 planted in the nursery an inch or more apart in rows 2 to 3 

 feet apart and covered with an inch of soil. The seedlings 

 often grow 10 to 14 inches high the first season. In planta- 

 tions the trees should be planted closely, about 4 by 8 feet 

 apart. It is often mixed with white elm, European larch, 

 green ash and black walnut. It is often planted for wind- 

 breaks because of its fast growth. Because of its brittle wood 

 the branches are often badly broken by ice and snow. 



Chestnut (Castanea dentata). The chestnut is distributed 

 from Maine to Michigan, south to Delaware and along the 

 mountains to Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. It reaches 

 a height of 120 feet and a diameter of 13 feet or more. Usually 

 at maturity the trees are 60 to 80 feet high and 3 to 4 feet 

 in diameter. It occurs singly or in groups or groves, and 

 seldom forms pure stands naturally over wide areas. It has 

 a more rapid growth than any of the more valuable hardwood 

 trees. It grows in height from 15 to 20 inches a year for 

 20 to 30 years. Sprouts grow much more rapidly, often 4 to 6 



