196 Forestry Quarterly. 



tion cutting. He discusses here various difficulties which are 

 urged against natural regeneration in general. 



The first difficulty is that of hampering the cutting of a given 

 budget, which was lately accentuated, when an increase of the 

 budget for the Bavarian forests was demanded (see F. Q. Vol. 

 VII, p. 91). Wagner claims that the opposite is true, provided 

 that not large areas, but small strips as he proposes are regener- 

 ated, permitting any number of attacks and hence any increase 

 in budget. 



The second difficulty is found in the rare occurrence of seed 

 years, which either delays progress of fellings or requires change 

 to artificial means. This is also overcome by the strip selection 

 system, the author having observed, thai for this system full 

 seedyears are not required ; partial seed years are not only suffi- 

 cient but welcome, because the regeneration will then not be too 

 dense. The author claims that in this system all the seed is 

 utilized, and that in a partial seed year, and especially in mixed 

 forest these occur yearly, almost all is good seed, besides finding 

 best conditions for germination. Moreover, artificial aid by 

 sowing is here readily given. 



The objection that natural regeneration furnishes often too 

 dense stands, the author finds curious. Even if it should become 

 necessary to thin out, dense stands are an optimum condition. 

 Such dense crops occur readily in his system in full seedyears on 

 account of the favorable conditions for germination. Here, the 

 thinning must take place early and is best done in spruce and 

 other shallow rooted species by handpulling when 8 to 12 inches 

 high. This is to be done only once ; the loss of plants by pulling 

 out roots of neighboring plants is meaningless in the face of 

 plenty. 



The great Spruce Snout beetle is believed under such condi- 

 tions an assistant, as it is known to attack onlj trie sickly, the 

 vigorous young growth and plantings with ball of earth resisting 

 this pest sufficiently. 



Drouthy periods which often cause the loss of a regeneration, 

 the author finds to have no terror for the selection strip system, 

 the opening being made towards the North, where the dews suf- 

 fice to keep the young growth alive. Although some of the plants 

 here suffer, and may loose their root system, as soon as the rains 

 set in they throw out new roots and shoots, and revive. 



