NATIONAL-ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. 757 



sufficiently rich soil with the least possible damage to the forest 

 crop, care must be taken that the young woody plants are 

 rooted in a lower stratum of the soil than that in which the 

 field-crop is grown. This is secured by cultivating the soil 

 deeply, and restocking it with woody plants with deep rather 

 than superficial roots, and with transplants rather than by seed. 



From the above considerations it follows that, from a silvi- 

 cultural point of view, field-crops may be grown profitably in 

 combination with forestry only on well-cultivated soil rich 

 in nutritious salts, and then it is the cheapest and most 

 certain method of restocking a felling-area. On poor soil this 

 system is quite unjustifiable, as has been proved in numerous 

 cases. 



Of all the methods which have been tried, the U r aldfeldbau 

 is the best, because it implies a thorough working of the soil, 

 no loss of wood-increment, and clear-felled areas are at once 

 restocked. But even on superior soils, field-crops should not be 

 maintained for more than two years. 



[Frequently in France and Belgium, cleared areas, on which 

 conifers grew, are cultivated for one year with a field-crop, 

 after burning (snrtcuje) the soil-covering and refuse from the 

 felling : this reduces danger of damage by insects to the 

 succeeding crop of conifers. 



In Burma, bamboos and other inferior species prevent the 

 growth of teak, advantage is therefore taken otjhumc cultiva- 

 tion, which is termed locally taungya, to get the area sown 

 with teak-seed, the teak plants growing into forest after the 

 cultivation of field-crops has been abandoned. Tr.] 



