12 



FIRST BOOK OF FORESTRY 



and covered with pretty moss and ferns ; and yonder 

 are two large trees of ash, one hollow, the other dead. 

 But then, what else could we expect ? As long as man 



does not interfere 

 with these woods 

 and utilize the 

 timber, the old 

 trees die, tumble 

 OA'cr, and remain 

 until decay dis- 

 integrates their 

 bodies ; and rain 

 and snow gradu- 

 ally level these 

 powdery masses 

 and mingle them 

 with the earth, 

 where the}' serve 

 to fertilize the 

 ground for new 

 generations of 

 trees. Were it 

 not for the fungi 

 attending to this 

 destructive work, the trunks and toj)s of a few generations 

 of trees would cover the ground and j)revent any new 

 growth, and thus bring all forest life to a standstill. 



Outer 

 Bark 



20 ig 18 ij J2 30 17 2S 2c 



Fig. 8. The '• Blaze " just covered, 

 as it looks now 



