40 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BULLETIN NO. 484. 



The products of the first cutting -will be chestnut posts, worth 10 

 to 40 cents each, and cordwood, about 10 cords per acre, worth $4 

 per cord on the lot. In addition there will be about 3 cords of 

 poor cordwood which is unsalable in the region. Unless the owner 

 can use it himself, it would be cheaper to burn the limbs and tops as 

 the cutting proceeds than to pay for cutting and piling this low- 

 grade cordwood and then let it rot in the woods. The products of 

 the second cutting will be chestnut of sizes suitable for poles, piles, 

 lumber, ties, and posts, a few oak ties and some good cordwood. 



The cost of the first cutting will be about $40 an acre, which should 

 be slightly less than the amount realized from the sale of the prod- 

 ucts. The cost of the second cutting will, of course, depend upon 

 conditions at that time, about 20 years hence, but the value of the 

 products to be expected should yield a small profit. It is not likely 

 that the net profit of the first cutting will be sufficient to cover the 

 cost of the cleanings recommended. If these are made the cost 

 should be considered as a premium for insurance against damage by 

 the gipsy moth. 



By concentrating our attention upon the gipsy-moth problem we 

 are in danger of forgetting the chestnut-hark disease and the white- 

 pine blister rust, both also imported from abroad and perhaps even 

 more difficult to control. The chestnut-bark disease is present on the 

 lot now under consideration and generally wherever chestnut is 

 found throughout the region infested by the gipsy moth. On the lot 

 now in question and others like it, where a large percentage of 

 chestnut is present and the control of the gipsy moth is the im- 

 mediate problem, it is believed to be wiser to use the chestnut as 

 long as it lasts rather than to attempt the expensive experiment of 

 a radical conversion of the whole stand to white pine, with the risk 

 of fire, blister rust, and white-pine weevil. Where chestnut does not 

 occur, as in the stands previously considered, these risks may be 

 necessary. Here they are not. 



STAND AT AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS. 



THE MANAGEMENT OF A TYPICAL STAND OF OLD-FIELD GKOWTH OF PINE AND MIXED 

 HARDWOODS WITH ONE-TWENTIETH WHITE OAK. 



This lot, used as a pasture until 15 years ago, contained 19 species 

 of trees on 4.2 acres, but 95 per cent of the whole number consisted 

 of the following eight species, in the proportions indicated : 



Per cent. 

 Black oak 16 



White oak 5 



Gray birch 21 



White pine 28 



Pitch pine 8 



Per cent. 



Red maple 10 



Red cedar 5 



White ash 2 



Eight species 95 



