black cherry stumps were collected in June in 
each of three widely separated clearcut areas. 
A 38-inch section of the succulent terminal twig 
was clipped, and the leaves were removed. In 
most instances, the entire sprout was less than 
3 inches in length. Two of the areas were in 
the first growing season since cutting, and the 
third area was in the second growing season. 
In another instance, terminal twigs were col- 
lected from branches at the apex and at the 
sides of freshly felled pole-size black cherry 
trees. Collections were made in February in 
four different poletimber stands. At least two 
trees were felled in each of three locations in 
each stand. 
In the final instance, a section was clipped 
from the terminal twigs of stump sprouts and 
root sprouts of beech. Collections were made in 
January in four different areas in which cut- 
ting had been done several years prior to the 
collection of sample twigs. 
Results and Discussion 
Black cherry and red maple twigs obviously 
differed appreciably in crude protein content, 
and in the rate of decline in this value with 
distance from the bud (table 1). There was lit- 
tle difference in crude protein content between 
terminal and lateral twigs within species; 
however, there was a pattern of consistent 
small difference between comparable twig sec- 
tions. It seems unlikely that this could account 
for the frequently observed preference by deer 
for terminal twigs. 
The crude protein content of black cherry 
terminal twigs from the four clearcut areas 
suggested that differences due to the date of 
collection within the dormant season might be 
more important than those due to geographical 
location, despite the confounding of season 
with location (table 2). There was little differ- 
ence in twigs collected in January from the 
Klondike and Mill Creek areas, and only a 
slight difference in twigs collected in April 
from the Chappel Fork and Camp Run areas. 
However, there was a great difference in crude 
TABLE 1.—Crude protein content of twigs 
clipped from black cherry and red maple 
seedlings growing in an old field area, 
March 31—April 2, 1966 
Twig section Black cherry Red maple 
Terminal Lateral Terminal Lateral 
Inches Percent Percent Percent Percent 
Bud 19.69 20.06 10.31 9.69 
0-1 13.44 12.88 7.81 7.13 
1-2 10.81 10.31 6.94 6.56 
2-38 10.00 8.94 6.44 6.00 
3-6 7.69 7.19 5.81 5.44 
6-9 6.31 5.44 5.06 4.81 
9-12 5.38 4.44 4.69 4.50 
TABLE 2.—Crude protein content of terminal 
twigs of dormant black cherry seedlings 
growing in five different areas on the 
Allegheny National Forest 
Area and collection date(s) 
Twig Klon- Mill Old Chappel Camp 
section dike, Creek, Field, Fork, Run, 
1/17- 1/25- 3/31 4/19 4/20 
1/19 1/26 
Inches Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 
Budi. 256 13.38 14.38 19.69 23.69 25.08 
(ae ee 9.88 10.19 13.44 14.88 16.63 
Ae 8.69 8.69 10.81 11.86 14.60 
Da ihe Soe 8.00 7.63 10.00 10.56 12.00 
8-6 _____- 6.94 6.50 7.69 9.63 9.88 
6-9) Jeet 5.94 5.56 6.31 7.25 7.61 
protein content between terminal twigs col- 
lected in January and those collected in April. 
The data for black cherry terminals in table 1 
are also shown in table 2 as other evidence of 
the possible influence of date of clipping on 
crude protein content. 
A comparison of twigs from black cherry 
seedlings in the four clearcut areas (table 3) 
shows that there was very little difference in 
crude protein content between the Klondike 
and Mill Creek areas. Collections in both 
places were made in January. Values from the 
Chappel Fork and Camp Run areas, where the 
collections were made in April, indicate that 
the crude protein content of twigs increased 
with the approach of the growing season, with 
perhaps a further suggestion that lateral twigs 
in the Chappel Fork area may have been 
slightly slower to respond than terminal twigs. 
A comparison of twig locations for black 
cherry collected during the growing season is 
prevented by the confounding of the effects of 
site and date of collection. However, there ap- 
peared to be a gradual decrease in crude pro- 
tein content within comparable twig sections in 
all four areas with the progress of the growing 
season, even though collections were made 
within a 2-week period (table 4). The diminu- 
tion of crude protein levels probably indicates 
its translocation to the leaves during this pe- 
riod. The data in tables 3 and 4 suggest a need 
for more detailed studies of the effect of season 
on composition and nutritive value of browse. 
Stump sprouts of black cherry collected 
from three areas on June 21, 23, and 29 con- 
tained a higher level of crude protein (19.38, 
20.56, and 25.69 percent, respectively) than did 
comparable sections of black cherry seedlings 
(table 4). The differences due to the effect of 
origin of plant growth probably mask the ef- 
fect due to site difference. 
The crude protein content of twigs from the 
apex and sides of felled black cherry trees was 
approximately the same. Most differences be- 
tween similar sections (buds and 0-3 inch) of 
