46 FIEST BOOK OF FORESTRY 



years old. But still this does not make large trees, and 

 thus our coppice woods look young and small compared 

 with old virgin woods. 



" Yes, we use chestnut and oak mostly, but that is only 

 because they were here and nobody cared to try any 

 others. We cut usually in winter, the best time being 

 about February or just before spring opens, because then 

 the stumps make the best sprouts, and sprout immediately, 

 so that a good growth takes place that very season. If 

 we cut in the fall or early winter, many of the stumps 

 suffer from the weather; and before they are ready to 

 sprout are injured and, therefore, make fewer and weaker 

 sprouts. 



"How much do we get per acre? That of course 

 depends on the age and condition of the woods and the 

 quality of the site [soil, exposure, etc.]. 



"Generally we count on a cord per acre and year, 

 so that a thirty-year-old stand should furnish thirty 

 cords per 'acre. From such a stand we should get about 

 a hundred good telegraph poles, or else about three hun- 

 dred railroad ties, besides about fifteen cords of firewood. 

 For the poles we get four to five dollars, and for ties 

 perhaps fifty cents each; but firewood brings only about 

 three dollars per cord delivered." 



Let us now walk into the woods and see what we can 

 learn. Everywhere we see that both oak and chestnut, 

 but particularly the latter, are excellently well suited to 



