38 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of the eighteenth century, just about the time that the Duke of 

 AthoU introduced the tree in to his Perthshire estates. At Sihlwald 

 it grows satisfactorily in mixture with other species, especially 

 beech — southern and south-eastern aspects are found to suit it 

 best. But, as I have already indicated, the tree is of no 

 importance in the forest. Next to nothing has been done in 

 the planting of North American or other exotic species, the 

 Forstmeister being of opinion that the forest revenue is not 

 likely to be increased by the use of these. 



The restocking of the forest is effected almost entirely by 

 natural regeneration from seed. All the prevailing conditions 

 appear to favour this method, and the flourishing appearance of 

 areas recently undertaken convinces one of its thorough efficacy. 

 In contrast to the practice in the majority of German forests 

 treated in this way, no preparatory fellings are here made. 

 Towards the end of the rotation, the woods are thinned much 

 more severely than hitherto, in order to encourage crown 

 formation and to reduce the quantity of raw humus on the 

 ground ; then follow two or three " seed-fellings." The trees 

 are capable of bearing satisfactory crops of good seed after they 

 are seventy years of age. From the original dense condition to 

 the time when the last of the sheltering, seed-producing trees are 

 removed, a period of from eight to ten years elapses. In the 

 middle and north of Germany this would be considered a 

 remarkably short regeneration period. Occasionally the young 

 plants are damaged by spring frosts, but it is usually found in 

 these cases that there has been a rather hasty removal of the 

 old shelter-trees. 



Organisation of the Forest. 



A forest cannot be brought into a model condition all at 

 once. To obtain a proper sequence of age-classes, together 

 with completely stocked areas, generations of patient work are 

 required. In the case of Sihlwald the present admirable con- 

 dition of the forest is the outcome, or rather the continuation, 

 of centuries of careful maintenance. As already mentioned, 

 attempts in the direction of forest regulation were made in the 

 thirteenth century. In the fourteenth century these efforts 

 became more systematised, and since the end of the sixteenth, 

 the organisation has been wonderfully complete. During the 

 last three hundred years the annual yield shows so little variation 



