644 Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 34, No.7 
oak. (Fig. 1.) On areas originally occupied by chestnut, oak repro- 
duction was found very generally, together with reproduction of 
such other valuable species as hickory, white ash, sugar maple, and 
sweet birch. (Fig. 2, A.) : Ax a cost 
These studies, made under representative conditions, indicate that 
the blight-killed chestnut stands of southern New England are 
restocking naturally to silviculturally desirable and economically 
valuable species. ‘These species are much in excess of the undesirable 
shrub-weed species. If, as is occasionally true, the more desirable 
species are outnumbered by the undesirable ones, they nevertheless, 
having the more rapid growth rate, will soon overtop the inferior 
species and partially or completely suppress them. It is also encour- 
aging to note that in those cases where the total number of desirable 
species may not equal that of the undesirable ones, the desirable 
species in the overstory are already in excess of the others. Moreover, 
the tallest saplings in the gaps left by the death of the chestnut are 
mostly of desirable species, such as the oaks, hickory, and ash, 
rather than of shrub or weed species, such as dogwood, sassafras, 
blue beech, and gray birch. 
REPLACEMENT IN NEW JERSEY 
Since no permanent sample plots were available for study in New 
Jersey, it was necessary to resort wholly to temporary plots. Three 
quarter-acre plots were laid out in uneven-aged stands on the Stokes 
State Forest, in Sussex County, northwestern New Jersey. Chest- 
nut, at the time of its death, comprised 30 to 60 per cent of the stand. 
In this locality the chestnut had been dead a shorter time (mostly 
less than five years) than in the regions to the south and east. The 
first generation of sprouts had died, and the second generation was 
appearing. 
Plot 1 is located on a moist flat in what was originally an oak- 
chestnut-pine forest. The overstory of the stand contains 1,316 
trees to the acre, of which 12 per cent are class 1 species, 40 per cent 
class 2 species, and 48 per cent class 3 species. The class 1 species, 
in the order of their abundance, are white oak, chestnut oak, and 
white pine, while the class 2 species, in the order of their importance, 
are red maple, scarlet oak, black gum, and largetooth aspen. In 
addition to these, the overtopped stand contains about 600 trees to 
the acre, some of which are capable of increased growth when released, 
or of filling the gaps left by the chestnut. 
Plots 2 and 3 are located on a low ridge in an uneven-aged stand 
which originally was an oak-chestnut forest. These plots have an 
average stand of 1,879 trees to the acre in the overstory, of which 
34 per cent are class 1 species, 18 per cent are class 2 species, and 
48 per cent are class 3 species. Of the desirable species over 60 per 
cent are in the upper crown class. These stands are obviously in 
need of an improvement cutting aimed especially at increasing the 
proportion of desirable species, which was reduced about 20 years 
ago by a cutting that culled out most of the best pitch pine. Repro- 
duction of desirable species is rather deficient because of the heavy 
cover of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and scrub oak. These 
undesirable species will in time be shaded out by the tree species, 
the scrub oak being the first to give way. With protection from fire 
the scrub oak is very short lived, for on account of its intolerance of 
