178 BRITISH FOREST TREES 



with spruce when the beech seedling growth is about ten 

 years old, or, in other words, when the parent standards are 

 removed, which can take place somewhat earlier than if it 

 were desired to have the whole area under a crop of beech. 

 Even when the beech thus at first forms the crop over 

 considerably more than half the area, it usually gets so 

 much suppressed by the spruce, that towards maturity it 

 rarely exceeds 20 per cent, of the crop. But although the 

 admixture of spruce may not exceed 30 to 40 per cent, of 

 the mature crop, it adds very considerably to its remuner- 

 ativeness; for not only is the total production of timber 

 per acre appreciably increased, but both beech and spruce 

 also yield higher percentages of large-girthed and valu- 

 able assortments of timber. In Britain it will probably 

 recommend itself to lay most weight on the growth of 

 the spruce, and to have the beech as the subordinate species, 

 in order to counteract the dangers to which the former is 

 exposed from windfall, from snow and ice accumulations, 

 and from insect enemies and fungoid disease. 



As subordinate species Scots pine and larch have 

 many advantages over spruce. Throughout the whole of 

 their life-period they are of quicker growth than the beech, 

 but with their lighter crowns of foliage are not liable to 

 do so much damage by overshadowing, and under many 

 circumstances often afford beneficial protection against 

 frost and insolation. Grown along with the beech, they 

 develop into boles of fine proportions, yielding first-class 

 timber, and can be worked with higher periods of rotation 

 than when in pure forests, because the soil is not so apt 

 to deteriorate. It also not infrequently happens that the 

 natural reproduction of the beech under the pine can be 

 carried out even more satisfactorily than under the shade of 

 parent standards alone. 



Form their natural habits of growth, these two species are 



