486 CLOSE WOODS OR OPEN? [Dec. 



trees in a wood to \>q maintained in close order ? or, on the other 

 hand, is it more important that crowding should be avoided ? It 

 will be understood, of course, that the question is stated with a 

 general reference to woods which are to be permanently maintained 

 and utilized for economic purposes. Great stress is by some laid on 

 the avoidance of crowding. Thin planting is recommended with 

 early, though unremunerative, thinnings, and thinnings at all stages 

 which may be described as severe. It has been recommended in 

 the same connection that the trees in a wood should be separated 

 and individualized, that the extremities of their branches should at 

 all stages be free from those of their neighbours and not touch nor 

 interlace. Let us now by way of illustration exaggerate in an 

 imaginary example the precautions and tendencies of this system of 

 separating the trees in a wood. To push these tendencies to an 

 uttermost extreme, let us contrive an imaginary wood, in v,'hich the 

 trees shall be so separated that thinning may be altogether dispensed 

 with ; by planting our w^ood with, say ninety trees only per acre at 

 22 feet apart, we should avoid all necessity for thinning. Suppose, 

 now, a tree-guard of paling with rabbit netting could be allotted to 

 each tree, the wood might seem well equipped and almost independent 

 for life. If each circular tree-guard enclosed a space of 3|- square 

 yards, then they would occupy altogether not more than 340 square 

 yards per acre, and would leave 4500 square yards per acre open 

 for grazing. This scheme might seem plausible, on paper at least, 

 to any one unacquainted with practical Forestry, seeing that so mucli 

 land is gained for pasture apparently without detriment, and because 

 the grazing cattle would greatly fertilize the soil, while the success 

 and development of the trees seem sufficiently provided for. But 

 consult any forester, and he would tell us that a plantation so 

 raised, however carefully it might be treated, would neither be 

 satisfactory to the practical woodman during its growth nor be apt 

 to excite keen competition among timber merchants when it came 

 to be disposed of. Even though he should not himself advocate 

 close w^oods with continuous leaf canopy, a forester would yet 

 desiderate a closer juxtaposition of trees with successive thinnings. 

 We may see from consideration of this example that the habit of 

 trees and the success and character of a wood is not dependent 

 entirely on soil, climate, and species, as is sometimes assumed. The 

 manner of collocation or the numerical relation to area occupied is 

 an important element and influence. The consideration of this 

 imaginary case and its difference from ordinary practice in the most 

 open of woods, may also stimulate reflection on the causes and 

 reasons of customary procedure. 



Why is it that in every plantation a great many more plants are 



