12 CHESTNUT IN TENNESSEE. 



% 



Of these five, two are cove types, the upper and lower coves; 

 one, pure chestnut, is a north slope type ; and two are ridge or south 

 slope types. These topographic divisions are arbitrary and can be 

 applied only roughly, since topography is but one factor influencing 

 drainage, depth of soil, and temperature, and, consequently, the 

 distribution and local abundance of chestnut. On che north and 

 west slopes chestnut is at its optimum. The upper cove marks the 

 minimum temperature it will endure; in the chestnut oak type it 

 reaches its limit so far as shallowness of 'soil is concerned, while 

 in the mixed oak type it approaches its minimum limits of soil 

 moisture and compactness of soil. 



The proportion of chestnut in the mixed types may amount to 

 as much as 65 per cent or as little as 15 per cent, depending upon 

 conditions of soil, drainage, or climate. In each type, chestnut 

 has a different rate of growth, and the system of cutting must be 

 modified for each to obtain the maximum returns and leave the 

 forest in the best shape for growth and for future cuttings. 



GROWTH OF INDIVIDUAL TREES 



The growth and yield of chestnut vary greatly according to the 

 situation. Three qualities of situation have been recognized : The 

 first includes the lower cove type and that part of the pure chest- 

 nut type, where, on the lower slopes, there are the most rapid-grow- 

 ing stands ; the second, or average quality includes the greater por- 

 tion of the pure chestnut type and some of the stands in both the 

 chestnut oak and chestnut type, and the upper cove type; the third, 

 or poorest quality, includes the mixed oak and chestnut type, and 

 the greater portion of the chestnut oak and chestnut type. 



Table 1 shows the rate of height growth of the dominant or 

 tallest trees in stands of sprout chestnut for each of these three 

 classes. 



