130 PRACTICAL FORESTRY 
In the primeval woods the seeds fell and germi- 
nated. Wherever an old tree in falling had ad- 
mitted light, a group of vigorous young trees would 
shoot into the air. Old trees long past their prime 
would prevent the growth of hundreds of young, ac- 
tive trees. These should be removed by the forester, 
provided they serve no purpose as seed or shelter 
trees. In many parts of this country natural regen- 
eration is extremely quick and vigorous, although in 
almost every case it can be improved and hastened by 
the aid of man. In other districts it is slow; so slow 
and uncertain, in fact, that planting is preferable. 
In a mixed hardwood forest it is difficult to pro- 
duce the proper mixture without some planting. In 
the north in many places—the Adirondacks, for in- 
stance—the spruce and pine have been removed. The 
ground is covered with hardwoods. Most of these 
hardwoods are defective. The hardwoods regenerate 
themselves without the aid of man to such extent 
that the conifers have little show. By being favored, 
the conifers might here and there work in, as in pop- 
lar groves, but in order to get a good even stand of 
these woods it would be necessary to cut the hard- 
woods and plant afresh. Suppressed spruces, which 
have managed to merely exist in the shade of the 
hardwoods, probably seldom develop into good trees. 
Conifers gradually work their way into birch and 
