FOREST RESOURCES OF INDIANA. 499 



White oak (Quercus alba). This is, and always was, the most abuudant tree in the 

 comity. 



Burr-oak (Q. macrocarpa). Found in various parts, but nowhere abundant. 



Chestnut oak {Q. castanea). Two miles north of Brookville, upon a poor point, there 

 is a grove of about thirty trees ; these are all I have ever seen in Southeastern Indiana. 



Red oak {Q. rubra). Very common; black oak {Q. tindoria), common upon the hills. 



Beech {Fagus ferrvginea). The red and white beech the most numerous of all trees ex- 

 ceitt white oak. 



The following trees also named : The shell-barks— thick shell-bark and pignnt hickories, 

 common ; white ash, very common, valuable; blue ash, rather abundant and the most 

 valuable of all ash timber; hoop-ash {Celtis Missixsijypien.'tis) and hackberry (C. occi- 

 deiiiaUs), quite common — the latter the most numerous; sycamore, plentiful along 

 streams; butternut, quite common; tulip poplar, once very abundant, now becoming 

 scarce ; black walnut, formerly abundant, now becoming scarce ; sugar, white, and red 

 maples, common ; wild cherry (Cerasus Virginiana), not abundant ; sweet gum, commou 

 in the southern part, occasionally in the northern part; cottonwood {ropulus angulata), 

 quite common along the streams; basswood, very common; buckeye, abundant ; cof- 

 feenut, not very abundant; honey-locust, gum, red elm, white elm, mulberry, common ; 

 red cedar, a few small groves. There are besides some other kinds, but they are seldom 

 used for building or mechanical purposes, and are therefore not named. — {First Report, 

 1869, p. 195.) 



Gibson County : 



The finest growth of white oak and poplar timber that I have ever seen is found in 

 a belt lying one to three miles north of Patoka. Trees 5 feet in diameter, with per- 

 fect trunks 50 or more feet high, were common, while monsters of much larger growth 

 are not unusual. A giant hickory, northwest of Centerville, on section 8, T. 15, R. 9 

 W., was measured and found to be over 5 feet in diameter at three feet from the 

 ground. The trunk was of great uniformity, maintaining that size to a height of sixty 

 feet, without limbs, and for size, challenges its kind throughout the world. Choice 

 uncuUed white oaks are abundant in the southeast corner of the county. — {Third and 

 Fourth Reports, 1871-'72, p. 286.) 



Huntington County: 



This county was originally covered with a fine forest, but clearing the land for farm- 

 ing purposes and the conversion of trees into lumber have greatly reduced its area and' 

 stripped it of many of its finest representatives. Among the principal forest trees are 

 white oak, poplar, black walnut, beech, ash, sugar-maple, burr-oak, red oak, elm, and 

 some cottonwood on wet land. On the road to Silverville, 3 J miles northwest of Hun- 

 tington, I measured a white-oak tree that proved to be 20 feet 3 inches in diameter 

 [probably circumference] 4 feet from the ground. — {Seventh Report, 1875, p. 131.) 



Jackson County: 



Was formerly covered with a dense growth of forest trees, such as are usually found 

 in this latitude. On the river-bottoms and champaign terraces the principal trees are 

 poplar, black walnut, white oak, overcup oak, black oak, water-oak, beech, sugar- 

 maple, water-maple, ash, hickory, elm, and sycamore. On the knobs and liigh table- 

 lands, chestnut-oak, white oak, red oak, chestnut, sweet gum, hickory, poplar, black 

 Avalnut, beech, and sugar-maple, the latter mostly on the hill-sides and in the ravines. 

 There are 18 saw-mills cutting lumber, barrel-heads, and staves ; oue cutting 4,000 to 

 6,000 feet of poplar; another as much of beech, gum, and oak, &c. ; others run on 

 walnut, oak, &c. ; and one cuts plow-handles, plow-beams, hoe-handles, wagon-felloes, 

 chair stulf, &c. Wagon and buggy spokes, grain-cradles, suaths, &c., are made, and 

 spokes are sh'pped to China. The hickory is sent to Hartford, Boston, and New York. 

 There still remain some noble forest trees. On section 15, township 4, range 5, four 

 poplar trees were measured that stood near together, the largest 38 feet around at 3 

 feet from the ground, and was 120 feet high and 65 feet to the first limb. The others 

 were 18|, 18, and 17 feet around at 3 feet from the ground. On the same farm a red 

 elm measured 18 feet around and a poplar 21^ feet. On Chestnut Ridge, a chestuut- 

 Btump was 9 feet 2 inches across. The knobs in the northwest part of the county are 

 particularly noted for supporting fine forests of chestnut-oak. These trees flourish 

 upou the most rugged sides of the ridges, and furnish the numerous tanneries of the dis- 

 trict with their supply of bark. In the Carr settlement, on Pea Ridge, there are a 

 number of large poplar, oak, and black-walnut trees, standing as witnesses of the 

 former grandeur of the point. On the Hon. George W. Carr's farm, I saw the singular 

 phenomenon of the limb of a dogwood tree, which was bent to ihe ground, and had 

 taken root, and was growing vigorously. The parent tree is 8 inches in diameter and 

 the Banyan-like limb 2 inches. This is the more remarkable, since it is diflicult to 

 transplant the dog- wood and have it grow under the most favorable treatment. — {Sixth 

 Report, 1874, p. 69.) 



