THE FORMATION OF PLANTATIONS. 291 
the early part of the growing season, and consequently an undue 
proportion of ‘spring,’ or porous, wood is present in the annual 
wood increment. When Scots pine was used almost entirely for 
railway sleepers and similar purposes, large sizes rather than fine 
quality was a desideratum, and it was perfectly justifiable to sub- 
mit the woods to severe thinnings in order to attain this object. 
Now all this is likely to be changed, and timber of all kinds, but 
especially Scots pine, must be of good quality, and as free from 
knots as possible, before it can meet the requirements of the 
market, or directly compete with the foreign product. Wecannot 
afford to overlook the fact that by far the greatest amount of 
timber imported from abroad has been produced in the natural 
forest, and the quality of this timber is such that it occupies the 
first place in the market, and in many cases to the entire exclusion 
of the home article. 
We cannot entirely copy nature when dealing with artificially 
formed plantations, but many important lessons are nevertheless 
to be learned, In the natural forest, trees are present of every 
age, from the seedling to the centenarian. Now, while those of 
older growth have ample opportunity of developing in an upward 
direction, the smaller but equally vigorous plants growing up all 
around, entirely prevent the growth of laterals in the lower part 
of their stems, and at the same time the necessary shading, so 
indispensable to the production of fine quality in timber, is pro- 
vided for, and this process goes on ad infinitum. 
In the artificial plantation, on the other hand, the trees are all 
of the same age, and nearly of the same height, and the destruction 
of the whole plantation would result from entirely neglecting to 
thin, as in the natural forest. But the artificial plantation must 
always possess one great condition in common with the natural 
forest, namely, a sufficient closeness in the order of the trees, to 
provide for the shading of the lower parts of the stems, and the 
production of clean-grown timber. 
By preserving the plantation in such a condition, the following 
advantages may be secured :—/irst, grass and weeds of every sort 
are entirely kept in check; second, the fertility of the soil is main- 
tained and increased by a proper retention of fallen leaves and other 
litter; ¢hird, the mechanical condition of the soil is improved ; 
fourth, the lower part of the stems are shaded from the sun, and 
hence a complete system of natural pruning is provided for, and a 
generally superior quality of timber is the result. It is impracticable 
VOL. XIII. PART II, U 
