GROWING TIMBER. 127 
all primeval forests regeneration occurs by means of patches 
of seedlings which arise in gaps formed by the overthrow of old and 
decayed trees by wind or by seedlings growing up under the parent 
trees, and eventually taking their place. In the case of light- 
demanding species, such as Scots pine, the former kind of regenera- 
tion is the principal one, and where the crop is almost pure, these 
patches will often be excessively thick and crowded. Of course, the 
individuals which compose these groups are not all of the same age, 
and those first in the field will stand the best chance of thriving. 
In most cases, however, even the biggest and strongest will not 
have things all their own way, but will be obliged to contend with 
their nearest neighbours, and in so doing will lose their side 
branches at an early age. This is the secret of the clean and slow 
growth of imported timber; but in growing timber of the same 
quality artificially, we must modify our methods to satisfy economic 
requirements. In natural forests, not only is the proportion of 
small, rough, and faulty stems much too great, but the irregular 
ages of the trees prevent the full yield of a properly-stocked area 
being obtained. To remedy this, advanced sylviculture grows most 
crops on the even-aged principle, and as this and other methods 
have attained their greatest development on the Continent, and 
especially in Germany, a short account of the way Scots pine and 
spruce are grown there may not be out of place. 
The planting or sowing of Scots pine differs with the soil and 
situation. In the loose sandy soils, which largely predominate in 
North Prussia, sowing is almost invariably the rule for restocking 
cleared areas. In this case the roots are usually grubbed, and 
shallow trenches are formed about four feet apart by means of the 
forest-plough, an implement somewhat similar to a double moulding- 
plough. In these trenches the seed is sown in the month of 
April, either by hand or with seed-barrows. About 24 to 3 lbs. 
of seed are used per acre, sometimes birch being mixed with it. 
Beyond keeping these seed-lines clear of weeds for the first 
year or two, the plants are left almost entirely alone until the 
twentieth or thirtieth year, when the wood is gone through in order 
to take out dead and suppressed trees. It is evident that by 
this time but a very small proportion of the original seedling crop 
will be in existence, and these will be the strongest and most 
vigorous individuals. Grown under such conditions, clean stems 
and small crowns will be the chief characteristics of the trees, 
and for the next twenty or thirty years this stem-cleaning 
