164 LEAF CANOPY AND PRUNING. [Jan., 



A history of the origin and practice of the underplanting of 

 .Scot's Pine was some months ago given by Forstmeister Schott von 

 Schotten stein, in the Foi^st unci Jagd Journal. He refers chiefly to 

 forest lands on the lower diluvial sand of the liiver Maine, under 

 his own supervision, and belonging to the city of Frankfort. This 

 forest was formerly composed entirely of broad-leaved trees ; but 

 after a decrease in moisture of soil, consec|uent on drainage works 

 in the valley, these were compelled more and more to give place to 

 conifers. Especially where the subsoil consists of a stratum of 

 gravel, the common Pine shows a tendency to take open order. 

 Wliere the taproot encounters the hard layer of gravel, many Pines 

 die off and leave gaps. Some of these gaps being at first fortuitously 

 sown by birds bringing seeds from adjoining leafwood, the idea was 

 naturally suggested of completing the process by planting shade- 

 enduring wood under the Pines. At the same time, the axe was used 

 to remove some of the overw^ood in the interest of the undergrowth. 

 P>3' this means a more regular distribution of the permanent Pine covert 

 was secured, and its yearly increase provided for by a thick ground 

 cover and a plentiful fall of Beech leaves. In another part of the same 

 district, Beech-nuts had also been sown under Pines, in the pole stage, 

 with the view of conversion into Beech covert. This had been done 

 over forty years ago. The very favourable influence of the thick 

 Beech undercover on the growth of the Pine trunks occasioned a 

 stoppage of the process of conversion, and a further diminution of 

 the Pines was forbidden. At the same time, these conditions were 

 initiated by sowing Beech-nuts in several pole coverts of Pine, between 

 forty and fifty years of age, which had previously been rather 

 severely thinned. The further gradual lighting of these Pines by 

 thinnings was reckoned on till there should be left only 200 trees per 

 English acre to produce heavy timber at a hundred and twenty years, 

 when their crowns would scarcely close over the Beech covert under- 

 neath. The time for underplanting with Beech is determined by the time 

 when the Pine covert, by repeated thinnings, is so far prepared that 

 one more severe thinning will jdeld between 500 and 800 cubic feet 

 per English acre, inclusive of branchwood and spray, and afford room 

 for the Beech to thrive underneath. According to the experience of 

 the district, this may happen when there are about 670 trees per 

 English acre in the Pine covert, at about the fiftieth year of its age. 

 The last important case of windfall caused by the hurricane of the 

 year 1876, besides affecting the older coverts, let the daylight very 

 much into some pole coverts of Pine under forty years of age, and 

 left them in such a plight that some measure of amelioration was 

 demanded. The following year, 1877, was a rich seed year for the 



