100 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION February 



the vitality of the tree more than is years. Under the old system the an- 



necessary. Exhaustion is evident from nual yield gradually falls off. largely 



the fact that after the first year the in consequence of the formation of 



yield quickly falls off, and the total "dry-face," which is a kind of local 



productive period is also limited. A death, affecting the exposed wood of 



further step in advance, to supplement the tree. 



the gains already secured by the cup It is highly probable that with this 

 and T'Lter system, was therefore diminution in the severity of the oper- 

 souglu in the new plan. This aimed ation the ordinary term of three or 

 to reduce the size and number of four years during which a forest is 

 "faces" chipped, and also the depth of now worked can be greatly increased, 

 the chipping, without diminishing the This means not only a larger total re- 

 flow of resin. turn, and consequently larger profits, 

 In the experiments carried out dur- but also that the investment period for 

 ing the past season the first object was turpentining capital is lengthened, a 

 to show that at least an equal flow of fact which especially appeals to the in- 

 resin can be secured from shallower vestor. 



and shorter "faces." The success of The experiments are being conduct- 



these experiments has tentatively es- e(J [n co . operation with the Hillman- 



tabhshed the practicability of this plan. c ,, , , T , ^ , . , , 



, ,/ u r Sutherland Land Company, which last 



A great saving naturally results, for , , r r r 



by reducing the depth and the super- >' ear P laced four cro P s of trees ' of 



ficial extent of the wound the drain on about 8 - 000 trees each - at the disposal 



the vitality of the tree is reduced, and of the Forest Service, and for the sea- 



at least an equal yield is secured with- son of 1906 has consented to supply 



out discounting the product of future still more timber to further the study. 



NUT GROWING AND FORESTRY 



BY 



LESLIE HARRISON 



/^\ NE of the main causes working almond, in California and the pecan 



^^ against the immediate adoption in Texas. 



of forestry is the distant future of the Little has as yet been done in the 



returns. American civilization lives improvement and cultivation of our 



too much in the present, and it is hard native nuts, especially those borne on 



to persuade the average man to sacri- valuable forest trees. Much attention 



fice himself in the interests of a pos- has been given to the orchard varie- 



terity some generations removed. ties, but when our indigenous nuts 



But there are certain trees which are have been improved it is probable that 



now and always will be valuable for they will be even more in demand than 



their timber, and which also bear pay- some of the more important carefully 



ing crops long before they are avail- cultivated nuts of the present day. 



able for the sawmill. Chief among The chestnut has received some at- 



these are the chestnut, walnut, and tention, -particularly in Pennsylvania 



hickory. There are a number of other and New Jersey, and it is deserving of 



valuable nut trees, but their cultiva- considerable more, for its main value 



tion has come into the realm of the lies in the fact that it can be used on 



orchardist, as it notably the case with rough upland country where the pos- 



the so-called "English Walnut" and sibility of other crops would be at a 



