UTILIZATION OF DOGWOOD AND PERSIMMON 6 
the South and in May farther north. Every spring dogwood trees 
attract large numbers of people in search of early tree flowers. In 
some sections near large centers of population good specimens of 
dogwood have been practically wiped out by ruthless gathering of 
branches. 
Flowering dogwood is commercially important at present chiefly 
in the southern Mississippi Valley, the southern Appalachian Moun- 
tain region, and in certain sections of the southern yellow pine belt. 
For many years it has been cut in the highlands of Tennessee, North 
Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and South Carolina. Some very fine 
dogwood can still be found in small quantities beneath loblolly pine 
on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The exploitation of dogwood in 
Mississippi is more recent, as is its present importance in Florida. 
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Fig. 1. — A beautiful specimen of flowering dogwood planted somewhat outside its 
natural range. (By courtesy of the Department of Parks, Rochester, N. Y.) 
(Fig. 2.) The tree occurs generally as an understory scattered 
among larger hardwoods, or as an understory to the southern yellow 
pines. Seldom, if ever, i,s dogwood found in pure stands. At best 
it yields as much as 2 cords to the acre ; but often 15 or 20 acres will 
produce no more than a cord. 
The tree rarely reaches a height of 40 feet. It develops a short 
trunk 6 inches and more in diameter of which usually 4 to 8 feet is 
merchantable. (Fig. 3.) Although diameters occasionally reach 18 
inches, this dimension is isomewhat unusual. 
The trunks, particularly of the older and larger trees, are seldom 
perfectly straight, and they are not often perfectly round in cross 
section. Trunks of older specimens are generally slightly bowed 
