NOTES ON A VISIT TO BAVARIAN AND SAXON FORESTS. 1 55 



the seedlings are established, the screen of beech is removed 

 gradually within from 6 to lo years. Meantime the surrounding 

 beech is kept dense enough to retard regeneration. When the 

 oak are established, the beech are taken in hand and regenerated, 

 and this part of the regeneration is made up with silver fir, larch, 

 and Scots pine, to increase the crop. Soon after the establish- 

 ment of the groups of oak, young beech appear naturally; and 

 these are welcome, so long as they do not interfere with the oak. 

 When they do, they are cut back. If they do not appear 

 naturally, they are introduced later, either by sowing or planting, 

 but they must be kept below the oak during the subsequent 

 operations of tending. Partial clearances, preparatory to 

 regeneration, are begun at about 60 years of age, and consist in 

 removing aggressive beech and defective oak, thus insuring 

 more crown-space for the good oak. If the beech obscure the 

 light unduly, the oak are gradually assisted. 



On the 1 8th of June we visited Lohrerstrasse. The cultural 

 measures adopted in this wood were to remove 58 per cent, of 

 the old timber; and in the autumn of 1903, there being a heavy 

 crop of acorns, suitable preparations were made for their recep- 

 tion by tracing small furrows through the wood. All available 

 labour was concentrated on the gathering of acorns, 3s. per cwt. 

 being paid for them at the inn, and 65 tons of acorns costing 

 ^^195. As many as were required were retained, and the 

 balance sold to seed merchants. Towards the end of September, 

 Zeag and Hokweg districts were dealt with. These two com- 

 partments have a south-eastern aspect, and had a fair stock of 

 160-year-old oak and 140-year-old beech. The soil was well 

 suited for the experiment, by having plenty of humus. The 

 furrows were 3 feet apart, and the roots of the old trees were not 

 severed, but passed over. The beech seedlings in the furrows 

 were removed ; those in the strips were preserved to protect the 

 soil, and they were to be cut back if they should afterwards 

 prove hurtful. On the 26th of October the furrows were filled 

 in, by replacing two thirds of the earth, and scraping in the 

 acorns on the surface. The cost of the whole operation was 

 1 8s. per acre. 



Other oak sowings were made in Buchhoh on the " ladder 

 system," and the turf was placed in the intervening spaces, thus 

 reducing the growth of grass for the first year. The whole of the 

 work was completed, and the cutting of the old timber commenced, 



