284 ON THE SOILS AND SUBSOILS 



either sand or lime. (Ex. of beech high forest on such soil, — 

 Bromberg bei Adelebsen am Soiling.) 



3. The beech also grows well on soils formed by the mild clay- 

 slates of the Laurentian system, and by the earthy varieties of the 

 Cavibrian, Silurian, and Devonian systems, where such lie in 

 favourable situations. They also, like the basalts and diabas, 

 decompose the leaves quickly and thoroughly, are easily prepared 

 for receiving the seed, and, where ])rudence has been shown in 

 the preparatory fellings, remain for many years (especially the 

 clay-slates) without being impoverislied or overrun with grass 

 and weeds. Few obstacles prevent natural reproduction, and 

 after germination the young plants develop themselves rapidly, 

 and suffer little from the effects of the sun. But at the same 

 time they can bear shade for a long time, so that the subsequent 

 clearances may with comparative impunity take place a few 

 years sooner or later, as convenient for the proprietor. (Ex. of 

 beech forests on such soils are in the Oberforsterei Lanterberg 

 am Harz.) 



llie Rothtodtliegendes {Magnesian Limestone) of the Permian sys- 

 tem, occurring in great quantities throughout tlie Thiiringer 

 Wald, and over which stands the greater portion of the Lehrforste 

 der Eiscnaehcr Forstlehrenstalt, may be said to yield soils of 

 two kinds : — 



a. The better, fresh, earthy varieties in favourable situations, 

 which rank equal with the better clay soils of the Cambrian, 

 Silurian, and Devonian systems ; and 



h. The poorer, less earthy varieties (quartz-conglomerate), 

 which, along with those under a, but in less favourable situa- 

 tions, may be best compared to the hunter sandstein, for, like it, 

 the vegetable mould is not so rapidly formed, although, as regards 

 mineral strenoth and freshness, it nuist be classed much higher 

 than the latter. 



Marly Soils. — The marly soils of the Keuper formation produce 

 high timljer forests of excellent growth. Here the beech finds a 

 mild, fresh, deep, loamy-marly soil, on which natural reproduc- 

 tion has few difficulties to struggle against. In all fellings, both 

 before and after the natural reproduction, caution must be 

 exercised, for if mucli exposed to the sun the ground becomes 

 dry and overrun with grass and weeds. 



Limey Soils. — The true home of the beech is, however, on the 

 better clayey and loamy soils of our lime formations, especially 

 of the muschclkalk (Triassic system, unfortunately not to be found 

 in Britain), and of dolomite or monnt<dn limestone, together with 

 the limey clays of the basalts, which break through the younger 

 rock-formations. This partiality for lime is shown by the 

 smoothness of the bark, the straightness of the trunks, and their 

 freedom from branches ; by the fact that the greatest annual 



