I4S TRANSACTIONS OF ROVAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAI, SOCIETV. 



of his |)aper examples of Schattenbitclien and Lichtbucheti (liglit- 

 beech) are figured. A comparison of these shows that the 

 habit of the Lichtbuchen is not so upright, the side branches 

 being stronger and disposed more horizontally than in the 

 Schattefibuchen ; and when seedlings of the same age are 

 contrasted, the height-growth is seen to be considerably less in 

 the latter. The leaves of the former are more vertical, while 

 the buds are longer, larger, and more scaly than those of the 

 latter. Another interesting contrast is shown by the fact that, 

 of the beech trees in a forest, the Schatteiibiichen comes into leaf 

 first, being on the average seven days earlier than the overwood, 

 and thirteen days earlier than seedlings in the open. In addition 

 to this M. Nordhausen in " Uber Sonnen und Schattenbliitter " ^ 

 shows that the leaves of the Schatleniuchen have a single 

 palisade layer, in contrast to the double palisade layer of leaves 

 of the Lichtbuchen. He further states that the leaves of 

 the former are larger than those of the latter. As opposed 

 to this, however, observations made in the Spessart have shown 

 that the leaves of the beech forming tlie advance growth 

 {Schatteiibiichen) are smaller than those of young growth stand- 

 ing in the open {Lichtbuclien). Also it is probable that this 

 diminution in size may be more the result of an insufficiency 

 of moisture, than of any variation in the light-intensity. Thus 

 it would seem of some interest to show how far advance growth 

 gives expression to the several influences resulting from a 

 variation in the light-intensity. 



Selection of Experimental Areas. 



It will be seen that intluences other than those expressed by 

 light-intensity have a modifying effect on the development of 

 advance growth. The more important of these may be taken 

 to be the local climate, elevation, aspect, slope, density of 

 stocking, frequency of seed years, mode of dis[jersal of the seed, 

 and lastly the natural state of fertility of the soil. The necessity 

 for ruling out as many of these factors as possible is at once 

 evident, and, in an attempt to do so, observations were restricted 

 to the advance growth on certain selected areas. These stations 

 were chosen in the beech and oak woods of the State forest, 

 Salmiinster, situated in the Hinterspessart of central Germany, 



' Berichte ucr deutschen liolanisclien Gesellschafi, IJand xxi., 1 903, p. 30. 



