150 Studies in Forestry [CHAP. vn. 



And Ney's opinion is as follows l : 



'The Beech, which in pure crops belongs to the more valuable species 

 of trees only on account of its protective influence on the productive 

 capacity of the woodlands, is of extraordinary value in mixed crops 

 owing to its capacity for casting a dense shade over the ground and 

 for improving the soil by its strong fall of leaves. When an admixture 

 of Beech is judiciously formed, all species of timber trees show a much 

 greater energy of growth than in pure crops. It safeguards the pro- 

 ductive capacity of the soil better than any other species of tree, and 

 therefore well deserves the name of " the Mother of the Forest " which 

 has been given to it.' 



Beech with Oak. In exposed localities, or on shallow, and 

 especially on limy soils, Oak is slower in growth than Beech, 

 although on most other soils and situations it is decidedly of 

 more rapid development. But, even in this latter case, the 

 advantage won is seldom so great as to obviate the necessity 

 for adopting measures to protect it against the Beech. This 

 is in some cases effected by forming pure crops of Oak first 

 of all, and then underplanting them with Beech either during 

 the pole-forest stage of growth, or about the seventieth to 

 ninetieth year, when the main growth in height has been 

 completed. A heavy thinning or partial clearance previously 

 takes place in each case. Again, in mature mixed crops, the 

 Oak can be favoured by either being reproduced first in groups 

 of 20 to 30 feet in diameter, or else by planting up the blank 

 patches in Beech seedling-growth with strong Oak transplants. 

 And, by favouring the Oak during all operations of thinning, 

 or by stimulating it to increased growth in height through 

 removal of the lower branches of the crown periodically, before 

 they attain a diameter of over four inches, much can be done 

 to assist its development. 



On very good soil, not apt to deteriorate under the loose 

 canopy of the Oak, this genus can be introduced to such an 

 extent as to far outnumber the Beech ; but, on the less fertile 



1 Lehre vom Waldbau, 1885, p. 93. 



