13 



planted. The trees should ordinarily be set 4 or 5 feet apart each 

 way. Norway spruce makes excellent development in pure stands. 

 If planted in mixture with other species, the best associates are white 

 pine, red pine, European larch, and chestnut. 



CHESTNUT (Castanea dentata). 



Of the hardwood trees suitable for planting in this region, chest- 

 nut is the best, since it provides quick returns in timber valuable for 

 a wide range of uses. Large areas throughout the East, particularly 

 in New England, Pennsylvania, and New York, are well adapted to 

 chestnut. It does not occur naturally in the northern portions of 

 New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, but is abundant 

 throughout the remaining portion of the region. If planted too far 

 north, the shoots fail to become woody before they are nipped by the 

 early frosts. The tree will endure the heat and cold of its natural 

 home, however, and will remain thrifty in sunny, dry situations. 



Chestnut timber is in great demand. The wood works easily and is 

 very durable in contact with the soil. 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 tannin extracts. 



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

 coarse gravels and shales. On limestone soils, however, it never 

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

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

 soils of the lowlands. 



The trees should be planted 6 feet apart each way. If they are to 

 be grown directly from the seed without transplanting, seed spots 

 should be prepared. Two or three nuts should be planted in each 

 and covered about 1 inch deep with fine earth. Only one tree should 

 be allowed to remain in each hill. This method is recommended by 

 many, and, where there is no danger from squirrels, it will prove 

 satisfactory and less expensive than the use of seedlings. In general, 

 however, the planting of 1-year-old seedlings will be safer and will 

 give better results. 



The system of management best suited to chestnut is the pure 

 coppice with a rotation of twenty-five to thirty-five years. Sprouts 

 make more rapid growth than seedling trees, and produce timber 

 in many respects superior. Chestnut grows well in mixtures, par- 

 ticularly with white pine, red pine, and European larch, and with 

 the oaks, ashes, and maples. 



[Cir. 100] * 



