Periodical Literature. 487 



still further the difference in total height the rapid growing races 

 making nearly twice the length of the slow growing , but a ten- 

 dency to broaden is already noticeable in the Rhenish race. 

 Altogether the rapid growers make a stouter appearance due to 

 stouter needles. The winter coloration of the eastern race is 

 striking, while the western remain practically green. 



Deductions for silvicultural practice follow. First we must 

 break with the usual assumption that the pine makes the straight- 

 est branches where in mild climate it finds the most favorable con- 

 ditions of growth and is the dominant species. Just where in a 

 harder climate it has to battle for centuries against storm and 

 snow, the form most suitable with short branches, a race of 

 slender form is developed which with considerable assurance 

 propagates itself in the progeny, no matter whether grown in the 

 open, in loose or dense position, and which persists if transplanted 

 into soil and climate not too different. To be sure, they take with 

 them other characteristics which may not be desirable, like slow 

 growth of northern and alpine races. The races with spreading 

 habit can only in dense stand produce straight boles. In mixture 

 with other species when more rapid growing than these they 

 grow into broad crowns, if not in advance they are shaded out. 



The seed of a perfectly formed tree in the locality of mixed 

 form.s may have been fertilized by an inferior form, hence may 

 not propagate the better form of its one parent. Here is a 

 dilemma as to what locality to choose seed from. 



Broad crowned trees, to be sure, have other advantages, they 

 have a very much larger increment, as measurements on properly 

 selected specimens of slender and broad crowned forms, both 

 dominant show. In a 58 year old stand the large crowned 

 averaged nearly 40% larger diameter than the small crowned 

 trees ; in older stands even more, and the contents were nearly 

 double. The value per acre of a fully stocked acre of the broad- 

 crowned the author estimates, would be one-third more. Hence 

 there is no reason why in a pine region other than the home form 

 should be used for pure pine forest. But then it is necessary to 

 be circumspect in growing them densely, and especially attending 

 to the timely removal of the worst forms. Where, however, the 

 pine is not at home it would be proper to secure the seeds of the 

 best form from a region similar in climate to the locality where 

 they are to be used. The character of the progeny shows itself 



