774 FOREST-LITTER. 



roots.* Hence results the superficial impoverishment of the 

 soil, so far as the bilberry roots extend. 



In wet, swampy localities, on fairly level ground, many 

 species of reeds and sedges grow (Juncus, Carex, etc.) ; they 

 have long, broad leaves which die early in the winter, and can 

 be raked together easily. In some districts, as in Upper 

 Bavaria, meadows of sour grasses, rushes, etc., are used for 

 litter. 



SECTION V. MODES OF HARVESTING LITTER. 



The different ways in which litter is harvested are all 

 extremely simple, but differ according to the kind of litter in 

 question. 



1. Litter from Dead Leaves and Needles. 



In collecting litter composed almost exclusively of dead 

 leaves or needles, with only a few weeds and a scanty 

 admixture of moss, wooden rakes are always used. 



Iron rakes are quite inadmissible, as they not only damage 

 the superficial roots of trees, but also penetrate the layer of 

 humus, which they remove partly, as well as the litter. Thin 

 layers of moss are also removed easily by means of wooden 

 rakes. The heaps of dead leaves and needles are packed in 

 cloths or nets for removal either to the farms or to a forest 

 depot, where the litter is measured for sale, or carts are laden 

 with it on the spot. 



On smooth ground it is easy to rake up every leaf, but when 

 the surface is uneven, interrupted by holes, hummocks, stones, 

 rocks and roots, or overgrown with shrubs, bushes, grass or 

 weeds, or finally, in places where swine have been rooting 

 raking is a difficult process. A considerable amount of litter 

 which cannot be raked up is then preserved to the forest, and 

 thus an indication afforded how the forests may be protected 

 by artificial means against a too complete removal of litter. 



* [Species of StroMlantkea have a similar habit in India, and most of them 

 blossom periodically, every 5 to 1C) years. After blossoming, the whole crop 

 dies, and thus allows tree seedlings to take root otherwise an impossibility. 

 Species of Strobilanthe* are common in oak-forests in the Himalayas, but the 

 genus is best, represented in the .Nilgiri Hills, where some kinds are used largely 

 for fuel. (Jamble, " Manual of Indian Timbers,'' p. ."ill). Tr.J 



