CONTINENTAL NOTES — GERMANY. 49 



There is nothing new in this, for the advantages of mixed 

 forests have been fully recognised, ever since forestry became a 

 science. The reason why the correct theory was so frequently 

 neglected in practice was greed. The pine and spruce promised, 

 especially on inferior soils, a better and more rapid financial 

 return than a mixed forest, and risks were taken. Well known 

 facts, such as the amelioration of the soil by an intermixture 

 with broad-leaved species, the protection insured thereby against 

 storms, snow, drought, insects, fungi, etc., were ignored. In the 

 hilly regions, the beech was deliberately driven back by pure 

 spruce forests, planted on clear fellings of the former ; in the 

 plains, oak, beech, hornbeam, etc., were made to retire, on all 

 but the best soils, before pure conifer afforestations, and 

 that in face of the fact that, under proper treatment, these 

 species can exist and thrive in silvicultural harmony with 

 each other. 



Now, since the mischief is done, and becomes more and more 

 evident, the question of re-creating mixed forests gains day by 

 day more adherents. Opinion, as expressed at several forest 

 conferences, was generally in favour of under-planting the 

 existing pine pole forest, even in cases where this was not 

 rendered imperative by disease or by an inferior growth of the 

 pine, with oak, beech and hornbeam, on pine soils of the first 

 and second class ; omitting the oak, and adding the acacia on 

 poorer soils. This presents no great difficulty, and has already 

 been carried out in many instances with good results, and even 

 better prospects, for the growth of the pine has been visibly 

 accelerated, and the improvement of the soil secures better 

 conditions for the growth of the next generation. 



As had already been pointed out by Dr Albert, experience 

 has shown that such under-planting can easily be over-done, 

 and that too dense a cover by broad-leaved species acts 

 harmfully rather than otherwise, especially on inferior soils, by 

 impeding the decomposition of the dead surface-cover. The 

 re-establishment of the much desired mixture of beech and 

 spruce in the hill forests of Northern Germany, which are at 

 present occupied by pure spruce, is a very much more difficult 

 problem. The planting up of clear-fellings, in alternative strips, 

 with beech and spruce, has failed altogether, because, in 

 accordance with the elevation, either the one or the other 

 species has become dominant. 



VOL. XXin. PART I. D 



