DIVISION OF FORESTRY. 217 



perhaps not generally known that nnsuccessful forest planting is the 

 not unfrequent complaint of European foresters. The_ same area 

 must often be replanted or gone over and repaired five, six, nay, ten 

 times. A desire to return to natural methods of reforestation is gen- 

 erally observable with the most practical men, while the scientific 

 pedagogues are still discussing the advantages of their pet method. 



The results of this method, which found its advocates and its ex- 

 pansion in the beginning and first half of the century, are naturally 

 only now visible. At that time the forester had in view only the 

 technique of forest planting, and overlooked the fact that he is also 

 called upon to preserve the soil in good condition. We should be wise 

 to learn from this experience, and not be led by the pleasing exterior 

 to follow the same routine, which ultimately must result in a deterio- 

 ration of the soil of our forest and an increase of its natural enemies. 



To be sure, on the treeless plains, and on the cleared and denuded 

 forest areas, we have no choice but to resort to planting; but wherever 

 we are still possessed of natural forests our endeavor should be to re- 

 produce them by natural seeding, supplemented only if necessary by 

 artificial means. 



From a financial point of view this method of working for refor- 

 estation by the seed from the original timber growth is the only ad- 

 visable one where soil and timber are cheap and labor difficult to 

 obtain, as is the case in our lumbering regions, and especially so as 

 the lumberman, after having taken what can be converted into cash, 

 is not likely to make any expenditure upon the soil in order to provide 

 for future growth. 



The same regard to the principles explained above must be given in 

 the management for natural reproduction as in the planting of new for- 

 ests; the soil must be kept shaded as continually as possible, and a 

 rational mixture of species must be fostered. In addition, we have to 

 study the requirements of each species in regard to light and shade 

 for their seedlings, and remove the mother trees gradually, slower or 

 faster as required. The idea, still largely urged by popular writers, 

 that a change of crop, a rotation, is as necessary in forestry as in 

 agriculture, must be considered entirely erroneous. The change 

 does often take place through fault of man, not by necessity nor as 

 an advantage, and is easily explained. Light-needing species will 

 take possession of a cleared area which was occupied by a dense- 

 foliaged one, unless the seedlings of the latter were on the ground 

 first, and vice versa; thus, if by cutting a thin-foliaged forest (oak) 

 an existing growth of shade-enduring species (white pine) is given 

 the benefit of the increased light, the latter will occupy the ground 

 to the exclusion of the former. 



The method of selection, by which only trees of a certain size are cut 

 out, practiced in Canada and to some extent in Maine and in lumber 

 camps elsewhere, would be satisfactory were it carried on with due re- 

 gard to reforestation, but it is not, for the selection does not take 

 into consideration the requirements of the after-growth, but only 

 the utilization of the selected trees. This method has the advantage 

 at least of exposing the soil less to the drying influence of sun and 

 wind, and of nialdng a natural reforestation from the remaining 

 trees not entirely impossible if the species is a shade-enduring one, 

 and conditions are otherwise favorable; and for this reason its adop- 

 tion in our pineries (especially those of the white pine, to a consider- 

 able extent shade-enduring) 'would mark a desirable improvement 

 upon the indiscriminate slashing of all growth. 



