176 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY. 



(2.) The full enjoyment of light can at once be secured 

 to young trees which are light-demanding and hardy. 



(3.) The trees develop more rapidly than those origi- 

 nating by natural regeneration, at any rate up to middle 

 age. 



b. Disadvantages. 



(1.) Sowing and planting are costly. The outlay on the 

 latter can, however, be considerably reduced by planting 

 small plants according to a simple and cheap method. 



(2.) Where artificial regeneration follows clear-cut- 

 ting, the young plants are exposed to damage by frost, 

 drought, insects and weeds in a far higher degree than 

 if the regeneration is conducted under a shelter-wood. 

 In fact, tender species must be raised in the latter way, 

 so that for them clear-cutting is excluded. Insects 

 frequently become formidable to coniferous woods raised 

 in clear-cuttings, while experience has shown them to be 

 less dangerous to natural seedlings, especially when 

 these are raised under a shelter-wood. 



(3.) In the case of clear-cuttings, the laying bare of 

 the ground for a series of years may seriously affect the 

 fertility of the soil, so much so that the method is hardly 

 admissible on inferior soils. 



2. Merits of Natural Regeneration ly Seed, 

 a. Advantages. 



(1.) Natural regeneration involves less expenditure 

 than sowing or planting. In some cases the outlay may 

 be absolutely nil, but in most cases some artificial help 

 has to be given either by working (wounding) the soil, 



