262 COLLECTION OF STATISTICS. 



From what has been said there it will be easily understood 

 that a description of the soil and climate must form part of the 

 basis upon which a working plan rests. 



In describing the climate and soil the following points 

 deserve attention : 



a. Climate. 



(1) The geographical position of the locality, as indicated 



by latitude and in many cases also the longitude, 

 especially where the vicinity of the sea, large lakes, 

 or high mountains, are likely to influence the climate. 



(2) The local peculiarities of the locality, such as altitude, 



aspect, slope, temperature, moisture in the air, 

 rainfall, exposure to strong, cold, or dry winds, 

 susceptibility to late or early frosts, &c. 



(3) The surroundings of the locality, in so far as they are 



likely to affect the local climate. 



b. Soil 



(1) The underlying rock. 



(2) The mineral composition of the soil. 



(3) The organic admixtures of the soil. 



(4) The depth of the soil. 



(5) The degree of porosity. 



(6) The degree of moisture. 



(7) The surface covering of the soil. 



In forests situated on level ground the above data may be 

 the same over a considerable portion or the whole of the area, 

 but in the hills they have frequently to be determined for each 

 compartment, or even portions of one compartment, especially 

 if it shows considerable differences of altitude, aspect, or slope. 



All these factors combined produce a certain quality or 

 yield capacity of the locality. How this is determined has 

 been explained at page 150 of Volume I. and in Forest 

 Mensuration. Some further remarks on the subject will be 

 found in the last part of this section. 



