Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-23
HOW TO USE DEAD
CHESTNUT TREES

How chestnut timber that has been
killed by the bark disease can be
utilized to bring the most profit is
told by the department of agriculture
in bulletin just issued for the bene-
fit of farmers and other timberland
owners in the States where the blight
has appeared. Most of the chestnut
timber north of the Potomac river
has been attacked and much of 1t
killed by the disease, which is now
spreading to Virginia and West Viz
ginia.
Sound wood from dead chestnut
trees, says the department, is fully
as strong as wood from healthy trees,
and is suitable for poles, lumber, ties,
slack cooperage, mine timbers, tannln
extract wood, shingles, fence posts
and rails, piles, veneer and fuel. 1t
cannot be used profitably for tight
cooperage, for wood distillation, or
for excelsior.
Disease-killed chestnut does not
begin to deteriorate until two years
after death, and in most cases 1t mas
been found that the trees up to ten
inches in diameter can be sawed into
merchantable products after they
have been dead four years. trees from
ten to eighteen inches in diameter
after they have been dead five years,
while trees above eighteen inches IN
diameter are merchantable six years
after death. 1t is best, however, to
cut and utilize infected trees as soon
as possible after they are attacked.
Diseased timber Is still live timber,
and can be sold as such, while dead
timber, even though sound. always
in
featuring and marketing.
Consider Home Needs First.
In deciding what product to manu-
facture from his stand the farmer or
other cumberland owner should first
consider his own needs for fuel, fence
posts and rails, split shingles, con-
struction material for barns and
sheds, or even interior finish for a
new house. If a woodlot owner has
more timber than he can use himself
o. dispose of to his neighbors. he
should consider making one or more
of the following products to be sold
to dealers, railroads or manufacturing
plants; poles, sawlogs, hewn ties,
slack cooperage bolts, tannin extract,
cordwood, mine timbers and cord
wood for brick-yards, lime kiins,
brass factories, iron foundrles, etc.
Any of these products can be maze
with the tools kept on every farm;
Manufacture of lumber on the
ground requires portable sawmill.
Portable shingles and stave mills
can also be obtained. Such an OUTFIT
would be warranted only If there was
enough timber to insure several
years operations. Owners OF port
table mills, however, often buy tim
Der when there is enough to warrant
a set-up. Moreover, there may be a
custom sawmill or one operated IN
connection with lumber yard or
wood working plant in the nelgnpo,-
hood. Stave, heading ana snlngie
mills may often furnish market hor
logs.
Poles the Best Product.
Logging chestnut for poles is much
the simplest and cheapest form OF
utilizing the stand per unit or vol
ume. 1t consists simply in felling
the tree. saving off the top at an IN
side bark diameter of seven or eight
inches trimming the branches close
and peeling. Chestnut poles may De
marketed through the hundreds or
pole dealers scattered throughout the
region of the bark disease, or may pe
sold to one of the telephone, electro
light or trolley companies IN tne
same region, or to buyers for the
large telephone and telegraph COM
panies and the railroads. Prices
range from eighty cents to N.25 for
20 foot poles to Sc to IS for 55-foot
poles.
In some sections of the East, brick
yards, limekilns and brass factories
use large quantities of wood for fuel.
Most of these accept cordwood con-
tanning more or less chestnut, paying |
for the mixed wood from $3.50 to $3.50 |
pery cord.