Farest Types of Baden. 443 



?re prescribes planting, but only moderately, namely 150 plants 

 per hectare (60 per acre). This may perhaps be rather too little, 

 but 300 per hectare would be in any case enough. He says further, 

 that only strong plants, about 5 feet high, should be used, as the 

 young trees have in their early life to struggle for their existence 

 against the rank growth of grass always to be found in a Middle 

 Forest. The minimum distance at which plants should be set 

 out from overholders must not be less than 2 meters, and from a 

 stump sprout 1.5 meters. As long as this rule is conformed to the 

 planting may be done either singly or in small groups. Cleanings 

 must be made in favor of this young growth for the first few 

 years, and the grass should not then be cut but the entire sod 

 removed and turned over. Lastly, whenever it pays (i. e. when 

 the forest is in the neighborhood of a town), light thinnings 

 should be made. Two such thinnings may be made during a 

 rotation of 20 years. 



In these forests, Beech is never planted as it shades out too 

 much, and Oak is now nearly given up. Oak has a long tap root 

 and therefore cannot be transplanted, and as has already been 

 said sowing is excluded. In addition to this we get much better 

 returns on this moist soil from Ash, which is a workwood from 

 the beginning, than from Oak. Ash and Canadian Poplar are the 

 best species to plant and those now generally chosen for this pur- 

 pose. 



The great disadvantage of a Middle Forest is that it produces 

 a larger percentage of brushwood, at least 40% of the total out- 

 put, whilst the workwood percent is very low and never more 

 than 25%. On account of this the Middle Forest system has in 

 many places been given up and the High Forest system with a 

 lower story adopted. 



It is the custom in these forests to cut the grass yearly for bed- 

 ding material. Now, where yearly inundations take place, there 

 is nothing to be said against this usage as the revenue obtained 

 is considerable and the soil is always moist and kept in good con- 

 dition by the deposits of silt from these inundations. Where, 

 however, these inundations do not take place, and they are far less 

 frequent than formerly, this practice is deterimental and will 

 eventually utterly ruin these forests. 



