FORESTRY. 377 



a shorter period, for the reason that in many cases all the old trees 

 could not be cut at once, on account of damage to the future crop; 

 and, for the same reason, not less than five years intervene between 

 the first and second cuttings on the same ground. 



"So far as can be judged at this early date, the improvement cut- 

 tings seem to have accomplished what was expected of thetn. The 

 appearance of the forest where they have passed is much improved, 

 and the young trees which have been set free are doing well. But, 

 although it is too early to pronounce definitely upon all of their 

 effects, two facts seem to have been established. These are, that 

 large trees surrounded by a dense growth of smaller ones may be 

 felled and removed with comparatively very unitnportant injury to 

 the young crop, and that the additional cost of the necessary care, 

 beyond that of ordinary destructive lumbering, is so stnall as to be 

 out of all proportion to the result. If this latter fact should be es 

 tablished later on in other parts of the United States, as there seems 

 little reason to doubt that it will be, its importance to the future 

 success of forestry will be very great. Its value in practice is 

 enormous.'' 



Under the Biltmore sj^stem the working plan is made elastic. Its 

 general objects are three in number: 1. For profitable production, 

 giving the forest direct utility. 2. A nearly constant annual yield 

 which gives a steady occupation to a trained force under a perma- 

 nent organization, and makes regular operations possible. 3. Im- 

 provement in the present condition of the forest. 



"These g-eueral objects are to be attained by means of two S3^stems 

 of management. On the east side of the French Broad the 'Regular 

 High Forest System' will be adopted, and the 'Selection System' on 

 the west side. In each case the rotation, or the length of time in 

 which a second crop becomes ripe on the same ground after the re- 

 moval of the first, was fixed at 150 years. In a theoretically perfect 

 forest, under the 'Regular High Forest System,' there would be as 

 many sub-divisions as there were years in the rotation. The trees 

 of each sub-division would be of equal age and would differ 

 from those of the next sub-division by one year. In the present 

 case, for instance, the oldest sub-division, bearing trees 150 years of 

 age, would be ready for the ax; and the cutting, after passing over 

 it and then over all the others in succession, would reach it again 

 at the end of 150 years." 



"The 'Selection Forest' in its perfect state has trees of all ages 

 mixed together everj^where, instead of being separated into groups 

 of uniform age. The annual yield is taken each year from all parts 

 of the forest. But under such a method transportation would inan- 

 ifestly be too costly for American conditions; consequent!}', the 

 ' Localized Selection System' was adopted in its place. Under it the 

 annual yield comes from a restricted portion during several years; 

 then from another portion during' a like period, anH so on, until the 

 cutting has passed over the whole forest. In the present case the 

 yield will come from one-fifth of the area during each period of five 

 years. Consequently, the cutting will return over the same land 

 once in twent3^-five years." 



