CHAPTER II. 



" THE FOREST. 



Forest is a Term variously applied in this country. As here 

 used it applies to all collections of trees except such as are 

 grown for fruit. It may, then, apply to a piece of land on which 

 seedlings have only recently been planted, or to what is termed 

 brush land, or to land heavily stocked with trees. 



TREE GROWTH AFFECTED BY LIGHT CONDITIONS. 



So Important is Sunlight to the Growth of Trees that it 

 is sometimes said to be the purpose of trees to convert sunlight 

 into wood. Practically all trees make their most rapid growth 

 in full sunlight There is, however, quite a difference in the 

 power of various trees to get along with small amounts of direct 

 sunlight. It is the object of good forestry to grow as much 

 good timber as possible upon the land, just as good agriculture 

 consists in growing the largest amount of farm crops upon the 

 land. An acre of land covered with trees of the same species, 

 it is estimated, will lay on the same amount of woody fibre 

 whether the stems are large or small, the amount of wood 

 formed each year being in direct ratio to the amount of foliage 

 covering the land that is in good active condition. 



It is known that some trees will do very well in the shade 

 of other trees. This gives a chance to grow trees in a sort of 

 two-storied fashion, having the land nearly covered with the 

 foliage of one set of trees which require the full exposure to 

 sunlight, and underneath the land covered with the foliage of 

 trees which will endure the shade of those above them, just as 

 pumpkins can be grown under corn. On account of this 

 peculiarity of trees, foresters have divided them into two 

 classes, one of which' is called light demanding and the 



