to become woody before they are nipped by the early frosts. The tree 

 will endure the heat and cold of its natural home and will remain 

 thrifty in sunny, dry situations, but is very susceptible to injury from 

 hot winds. 



HABITS AND GROWTH. 



Chestnut will thrive on a variety of soils, from almost pure sand to 

 coarse gravels and shales. On limestone soils, however, it nowhere 

 makes good growth. In general it prefers the dry, well-drained, 

 rocky land of the glacial drift to the richer, more compact alluvial 

 soil of the lowlands. Chestnut does not need a rich soil so much as 

 one whose physical structure insures good drainage. Light is essen- 

 tial to the tree, since it is somewhat intolerant of shade. 



Few of our valuable hardwoods are more rapid in growth than 

 chestnut. Seedlings usually attain a height of from 10 to 15 inches 

 at the end of the first season. From then until the thirtieth year 

 the annual height growth will average from 15 to 20 inches. Coppice 

 sprouts make even more rapid growth during the same period, but 

 in later life their growth falls off rapidly. 



Ordinarily the chestnut, as a forest tree, is little troubled by in- 

 sects or fungi. Several forms of borers work in the wood and under 

 the bark, and their ravages are sometimes extensive. The nuts are 

 attacked by the larvae of two or more species of weevil, but to the 

 timber grower this is not serious. Trunks of the young trees in warm 

 situations are sometimes affected by a body blight or "sun scald." 

 The bark cracks and loosens on the south and west sides of the tree, 

 and the affected portion finally dies. The extent of injury from this 

 source is, however, not great. During the past ten or fifteen years 

 a new disease of unknown cause has been doing considerable damage. 



ECONOMIC USES. 



Chestnut timber is in great demand. The wood is light, moder- 

 ately strong, coarse grained, and elastic. It works easily and is very 

 durable in contact with the soil. In seasoning, the wood often checks 

 and warps, but damage from this source is not serious. It is used 

 in cabinet work and cooperage, and for fence posts, telegraph and 

 telephone poles, ties, and mine timbers. The presence of tannin in 

 the wood increases the demand for small-sized and inferior material, 

 and large quantities are used in the manufacture of tanning extracts. 



Except in portions of the Southern Appalachians, very little of the 

 original chestnut remains, but the coppice reproduction is so rapid 

 that a considerable supply of small-sized timber is still available. 

 The excellent qualities of the wood insure a permanent demand and 

 good price. 



[Cir. 71] 



