152 Studies in Forestry [CHAP. vn. 



the new seedling crop. By the use of healthy transplants, and 

 by selection of the most suitable patches for the growth of 

 these various species, better results can be attained than by 

 endeavouring to reproduce the whole crop as mixed forest. In 

 addition to some advantage in age and height at first, careful 

 tending of these more valuable species is requisite during all 

 the operations of thinning. It is only on the soils most favour- 

 able to their growth that these kinds of trees can hold out the 

 usual period of rotation (90 to 120 years) best suited to the 

 Beech ; hence, by the time fixed for the fall of the mature 

 crop, they will in many cases have disappeared from the 

 woods, having been removed for disposal when they had 

 reached their full physical and economic maturity. The more 

 the soil is suited for the Beech, the earlier will the fall of these 

 subordinate species be necessitated; but, in any case, the 

 quantity and quality of the timber harvested will yield better 

 returns than if attempts be made to grow these kinds of trees 

 in pure forest without the beneficial assistance of the Beech. 



For moister classes of soil the Hornbeam can often yield 

 better service than the Beech; and, as its growth is not so 

 energetic, there is less likelihood of its catching up the nobler 

 species and threatening to suppress them. Although it gives 

 much smaller returns in timber, the latter is, owing to its 

 extreme toughness, valuable for machinery work. Again, as it 

 attains its physical and economic maturity much earlier than 

 the Beech, it is in some respects even a more favourable ruling 

 species than the latter, for example, when it is desirable to 

 allow the soil to remain as short a time as possible in the sole 

 possession of the ruling species : for, practically, the natural 

 reproduction of the Hornbeam could take place immediately 

 after the fall of the subordinate species. 



Beech with Birch, Aspen, and Willow. As a rule no arti- 

 ficial efforts are necessary to attain an admixture of the soft- 

 woods in seedling crops of Beech. In fact they sometimes 

 occur self-sown to such an extent as to come under the 



