62 FORESTRY IN NEW ENGLAND 



stubs. There is a special bark fungus, Diaporthe parasitica, dis- 

 cussed in the chapter on Fungi, which is now a serious enemy 

 of the chestnut. 



Chestnut wood is particularly durable in the soil and has a 

 wide range for poles, piles, ties, etc., as well as for lumber. On 

 account of its wide use and consequent value, its abihty to sprout 

 and its rapid growth, the chestnut is the most valuable tree of 

 southern New England, and should be much raised in the future, 

 unless the bark disease renders it impracticable. 



White and Red Oaks {Quercus alba and Querciis rubra). 



These two trees, which are the most important of the New 

 England oaks, although somewhat different in character, may 

 well be considered together. The oaks are essentially southern 

 trees, extending up into New England from southern regions. 

 The white oak has a range similar to that of chestnut; scattering 

 specimens of the red oak extend to the Canadian line, and are 

 found on Mount Kineo in Maine, and on an island in Lake Mem- 

 phremagog, Vermont, although it is doubtful if it is native there. 

 Neither species is especially fastidious as regards soil, for al- 

 though they prefer a well-drained loam they frequently grow on 

 dry sand or heavy clay. They do not thrive in swamps and 

 are seldom found there. Both oaks can stand a fair amount 

 of shade, more than the chestnut but less than maple. They 

 differ widely as regards rapidity of growth. The red oak on 

 good soil often grows nearly as fast as chestnut; with the other 

 species the growth is slower. Both attain a very advanced age 

 and the oaks are proverbially the longest lived trees. Both 

 reproduce fairly well from seed. White oak seeds abundantly 

 once in several years, but a seed crop of red oak is produced every 

 other year. The nuts, of course, cannot be transported any 

 considerable distance except by squirrels and similar means. 

 The acorns germinate best on a mineral soil lightly covered with 

 leaves. In southern New England the chief reproduction of oak 

 is by sprouts. The sprouting capacity of the white oak de- 



