786 FOREST-LITTEK, 



in dead forest leaves, needles and weeds. There are in Ger- 

 many many farms where all the straw is used for fodder, or 

 sold, and only forest litter used for bedding. Hence during 

 the present century the belief has spread, that forest-litter 

 is more or less indispensable for the farmer, and practically 

 the forest owner is obliged to supply it. 



The questions must therefore be discussed, first, what is the 

 agricultural value of the different kinds of forest-litter ; and 

 secondly, under what circumstances forest-litter becomes a 

 real necessity for agriculture? 



1. Agricultural Value of Forest- Litter. 



The agricultural value of the different kinds of forest-litter 

 depends on their value as manure, and as material for bed- 

 ding. Some other factors are also important, such as the 

 physical properties of litter, its effect in rendering soil 

 porous, etc. 



The amount of contained ash- constituents (phosphoric acid, 

 potash, etc.) and of nitrogenous compounds decides the manurial 

 value of forest-litter. All forest-litter, except ferns, is poorer 

 than is straw in ash-constituents. The observation of Wolff and 

 Ebermayer* as regards the percentages of mineral constituents 

 in the ash of forest-litter are given below : 



Forest-litter is sometimes richer in nitrogenous matter than is 

 straw. It is, however, much more valuable as bedding material 

 than for its intrinsic manurial value. Good bedding material 

 should absorb and retain the excreta of farm animals readily. 

 With the exception of dry moss and peat, all other forms of 

 forest-litter are inferior to straw in this respect. Leaf-litter 



* " Die gesammte Lehre dor Waldstreu," p. 109. 



