REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST IQI3 51 
underneath the old stand is well established a heavy, final cut is 
made, leaving only a few trees to the acre to run through the next 
rotation as “ veterans.” The regeneration at this time is particularly 
thick, estimated to consist of fully 30,000 young trees to the acre. 
and forming almost impenetrable thickets. In the resulting struggle 
among these 30,000 seedlings for dominance, clean and slender boles 
result. In taking out the final cut, naturally considerable damage 
is done to the young stand, but it is surprising how quickly these 
gaps close up even where no planting is done to “ doctor” them up. 
The German forester dislikes to see a vacant patch of ground in the 
woods and usually plants something there immediately, although in 
many cases it is unnecessary and the results of his planting may be 
choked to death by the rapidity of the growth of the surrounding 
forest. 
Conditions sometimes get the best of even the German forester, 
for in some compartments either too much delay has been exercised 
in making the final cut or the regeneration came faster than was 
expected, for it is so high and dense that irreparable damage will 
result when the final cut is made. Young trees can stand much 
abuse, but not when they are 15 feet tall. The last cut before the 
final one leaves about 75 fine standards to the acre, so that the 
regeneration takes place by no means under conditions that could 
be called “ open.” 
All compartments, however, of the Ysenburg range are not so 
fine as the ones described above and which happen to be the ones 
nearest to the station. Some compartments are very poor and the 
pines are porcupinelike and scattered, having suffered from un- 
usually sterile soil, mice, grubs, and other enemies. The white pine, 
where used under these conditions, seems to be making a better 
showing than the Scotch pine, but the expense of replacing the 
Scotch pine by white pine is high and out of keeping with any results 
that will be obtained for a long time to come. 
A particular compartment at Ysenburg has been given over for 
many years to the experiment upon Borgrave’s method of thinning. 
Thinnings, properly speaking, are for the purpose of reducing the 
investment or for the improvement of the remaining stand, and if 
a regeneration results it is merely incidental. Seed cuttings and 
preparatory cuttings (often miscalled thinnings in the United States) 
are for the purpose of regeneration, absolutely and only, and are 
not properly to be called thinnings, but cuttings. 
Borgrave would take out one-fourth of the volume in one-seventh 
