Milford chronicle., 1951-06-15
| reasure Found In
Delaware Forests
tcOntinusd from nrst page,


on his place, currently being sup
ervised by the Sussex County Soil
Conservation District forester.
There's really no end to the
treasure if you treat it right" ac-
cording to S. H. Showell, who has
12O acres of woodland on his
White House Farm in Long Neck.
Showell retired to his place after
years as civil engineer. Shortly
after retirement, Shovel got an
offer from crew who wanted to
clear-Out a 20-acre lot of lOblolly
pine that hadn't been worked for
18 years
Somewhere along the line, the
engineer had learned that this
wasn't the way to do business, if
you wanted to stay in it. There was
plenty of evidence around him of
what happened when every stem
on the lot was felled. Thickets
rushed in-and hardwoods-ch
ing and twisting whatever pines
tried to perpetuate themselves. No
more tall, stately files of lOblOlly
pines, the majestic crOwning glory
of Delaware.
Shovel got in touch with Charles
Hutchinson, forester with the Soil
Conservation Service office in
Georgetown. Hutch" is a gentle
spoken Yankee who has years of
experience with tough, state of
Maine mmberjacks. He knows good
timber when he sees it. And he
could see the dollars and cents in
stands on White House Farm.
Hutch" advised that ShOwelPs long
untouched lots could stand a good
thinning and still leave plenty to
harvest in younger grOwths as they
came along.
In fact, Hutch said, if it wasn't
done, ShOWell could soon count his
losses in dead and dying trees. He
augured into one or two trees to
show the owner what he meant.
About 10 or II years back the rings
began to get closer together. That
meant slower and slower tree
growth. There were so many of
them they were fighting each other
for the minerals and water in the
soil. Killing each other!
Farm Forester Hutchinson felt
that both top" and bottom" thin
ming was called for and Showell
agreed. One lumber company fol-
lowed Hutch's blaze-markings and
removed 1852 towering, straight
trees for pilings of 12 to II inch
diameter and paid for them by the
lineal foot. Then, an excelsior con-
Germ took out IL cords Of crooked,
stunted or otherwise unhealthy
trees averaging five incres in dia-
meter
ShOwells new-fOund Treasure"
on the old farm amounted to over
500 an acre. And he still had left
grove after grove of beautiful and
healthy, well-spaced trees. A few
more years and they'd be lining his
pockets again. No pirate ever
dreamed of treasure like this. Op-
eTatiOns such as Showells are only
part OF a forestry program FOSTER |
ed by the Sussex County Soil Con-
District which has head |
quarters in Georgetown. Four years
ago. the supervisors felt that the
timber situation was getting out
of hand. They asked the Soil Con
Service to assign a
woods specialist to the area.
Since 1916, the forest technicians I
have been working with farm plan /
ners of the district. On coopera-
ting farms. owners often ask what |
to do with their woodlOts. after
they've Strengthened out their
drainage, crop and erosion prob
Iems. So the woodsman have come I
IN handily. Men like Hutchinson
have helped launch a thriving and
expanding forest industry for the
county They have shown owners
how to make money on their tim
keep making IT, too.
Because modern, selective cutting
DOESN'T leave an ugly scar in the
.orest. a close look is needed to
ind where it's going on. High in
n airplane over Sussex County. an
observer might believe that nothing
vas stirring in the big. dark green
racts. Selective cutting USUALLY
improves the appearance of
,tand Of fiD,hor