476 Forestry Quarterly. 



defects are inherited is still a moot question among scientists 

 but it is certain that the tendency towards inferiority is inherited ; 

 for like begets like. Only the elite must be allowed to take part 

 in regeneration. (This is difficult enough of determination, since 

 we can determine only the quality of the mother-tree and know 

 nothing of the qualifications of the father-tree whose tendencies 

 are also inherited!) 



The hereditary tendencies are interestingly shown in some 

 practical experiments which Dr. Zederbauer of the Austrian ex- 

 periment station is conducting at Mariabrunn. Following Dr. 

 Cieslar's famous experiments to show the differences in growth 

 of spruce seed from different regions and different elevations. 

 Dr. Zederbauer has refined the problem still further. Within 

 the same stand and site, he selected seed from dominant trees 

 and from suppressed trees of the same species, and sowed the 

 seed in a nursery bed. The resultant plants show the most 

 striking difference in growth and thriftiness, clearly pointing to 

 the desirability of heeding carefuly the qualifications of trees left 

 to re-seed cutting areas. 



Important as this point is in choosing the scattered seed 

 trees or "reserves" in clear cutting it is still more important in 

 the practical application of the shelterwood — selection method. 

 For here the entire regeneration aims to be by natural means. 



As usually practised in fir, hardwoods, and occasionally pine 

 stands of the lowest slopes and flats, the shelterwood- selection 

 method is confined to two cuts. The first — a combined prepara- 

 tory and seed felling — aiming to remove from 50 to 60% of the 

 volume of the stand, and a second cut after 10 to 30 years to 

 remove the balance, when regeneration is assured. In obedience 

 to the facts of heredity cited above, the trees left in the first 

 cutting are carefully selected for vigor and thriftiness. All in- 

 ferior, diseased or otherwise unsuitable material is removed in 

 the first cutting; however, extensive conditions of utilization 

 often render this almost impossible of execution without undue 

 expense. Sometimes though, it can be done even when the ripen- 

 ing seed is already on the trees. 



The seed felling is sometimes made after the seed has fallen — 

 as, for instance, in the early winter following an exceptionally 

 heavy seed crop. This is especially good under more extensive 

 conditions since it assures having seed from the best trees and 



