BRITISH FOREST TREES 167 



the basis of purely sylvicultural operations in Britain, any 

 reference to the treatment of pure forests of beech is almost 

 superfluous, yet they exhibit so many of the sylvicultural 

 characteristics of the species that a knowledge of their treat- 

 ment on the Continent must be of material benefit and 

 assistance with regard to the utilisation of beech in the forma- 

 tion and tending of mixed forests, in which the first and 

 principal object is the production of the most remunerative 

 classes of timber of the nobler species of forest trees. 



When, after natural reproduction, the young crop of beech 



finds itself freed from the shade of the parent standards, it 



is generally scattered in larger or smaller patches showing 



slight differences of age. As the results of the shelter afforded 



by the parent trees against frost, rank growth of grass and 



weeds, sunburn, &c., the energy in growth of the seedlings is 



so far prejudiced, that the young crop seldom forms canopy 



before the tenth year ; but with the attainment of this, growth 



in height becomes energetic throughout the thicket stage of 



development, reaching an annual average of about 15" on 



good soils and situations, and achieving its maximum annual 



increment with leading-shoots averaging 19" in young poles 



of twenty to thirty years of age. This does not happen until 



ten to fifteen years later, and only with a lower average, on 



soils of less favourable quality (vide tables on page 36 to 38). 



During this period of growth the soil is covered with a thick 



fall of dead foliage, which, secured by the density of the 



young poles from being blown away by the wind, protects 



the soil-moisture, and under the influence of the three chief 



factors, moisture, air, and moderate warmth (52 Fahr.), 



slowly decomposes to form humus or mould of excellent 



quality, thereby enriching and improving the soil in a 



greater degree than any other forest crop is capable of. The 



stimulus thus given to the soil finds its immediate expression 



in the increased current annual increment in cubic contents. 



