THE SOUTHEKIST CYPRESS. 45 



tables showing cubic volume based upon the diameter of the tree 

 measured outside the bark at the middle point of the trunk ("Schif- 

 fel's" method) are being increasingly used. Strangely, this middle- 

 point method when applied to cypress gives very accurate results 

 compared with the actual log volume. 1 Forty trees from 11 to 56 

 inches in diameter showed an error of only 0.2 per cent. 



The taper of cypress above the basal swell is considerable in very 

 young and in isolated trees, moderate later in life, and, in forest 

 stands, very slight at maturity. The amount and variation in the 

 basal swell have been discussed on page 24. One tree on the Santee 

 River, South Carolina, tapered 5 inches, or from 54 to 49 inches, in a 

 cut of four 16-foot logs. A taper of 2 inches to each 16-foot log pre- 

 vails with singular uniformity in middle life, and may be accepted 

 as an approximate rule. Table 22 in the Appendix shows the diame- 

 ters at various heights above the ground up 'to 5 feet. The actual 

 taper of cypress is usually greatly overestimated because of the 

 striking comparison with the enlarged base. Judging from all 

 measurements, the stem of cypress above the basal swell does not 

 differ greatly in its taper from that of the southern pines. 



EFFECT OF DRAINAGE UPON CYPRESS GROWTH. 



Although essentially a silvical question, the effect of draining upon 

 the growth of cypress is of interest in a general discussion of swamp- 

 land reclamation. While there is insufficient direct evidence and no 

 experimental data in regard to the effect of heavy draining upon the 

 growth of cypress, certain conclusions may be stated tentatively. 



A sudden and decided lowering in the permanent water level is 

 very likely to produce injurious results to tree growth by the dis- 

 turbance in the former equilibrium between the root system and 

 water supply. Cypress is believed to possess to a large degree the 

 power of adjusting its root system to meet its requirements for 

 growth under a gradual reduction in the soil water. A mature 

 cypresa stand at Walls, Miss., was in a healthy condition when cut 

 in 1913, 15 years after the deep but gradual draining of the 

 slough in which it grew. 2 Mr. H. B. Howes, 3 Jcanorette, La., how- 

 ever, stales that cypress on lands in Avoyelles Parish, La., previously 

 reclaimed l> l< ees along the Atchafalaya Itiver, when examined 

 showed considerable decay at- the bases of the trees. A moderate 

 amount of drainage will undoubtedly be as beneficial to cypress as 



■ 'I able 18 to 21 in the Appendix show the volume i ol cypres i In Mm , kind, KonUi Carolina, and Louis- 



: 



. uii , W. B., Civil Engineer, Wall , Ml . 



iirman of a special committee oi 1 1 * * -- Southern < lypress Manufacturoi ,' ,v ociaUon, Now « n-inan:;, 

 La., Cm over lands. 



