CHAPTEE I. 



LOCALITY IN RELATION TO FOREST VEGETATION. 



When a plant germinates on the surface of the earth, it 

 sends its roots into the soil, and its stem into the air. The 

 soil, assisted hy the subsoil, provides to the plant the means of 

 stability and nourishment ; the atmosphere overlying the soil 

 furnishes certain nourishing substances, heat, light, and 

 moisture. Hence soil, including subsoil, and atmosphere are 

 the media which act upon forest vegetation, and they together 

 are in sylviculture called the " localiti/." The active agencies 

 or factors of the locality depend on tjie nature of the soil and 

 the climate, the latter being governed by the situation. The 

 sum total of these factors represents the quality or yield capa- 

 city of the locality. The forester requires to be well acquainted 

 with the manner in which soil and climate act on forest vege- 

 tation, in order to decide in each case which species and method 

 of treatment are best adapted, under a given set of conditions, 

 to yield the most favourable results. The detailed considera- 

 tion of the laws which govern this branch of forestry finds a 

 place in the auxiliary sciences, such as Physics, Chemistry, 

 Meteorology, Mineralogy, and Geology. A sufficient know- 

 ledge of these branches of science is assumed, so that here 

 only their application to Sylviculture need be considered. 



The chapter has been divided into the following sections : — 



Section I. — The Atmosphere. 

 ,, II. — Climate. 



III.— Soil. 

 ,, IV. — Eliect of the Locality on Forest Vegetation. 

 ,, V. — Effect of Forest Vegetation on the Locality. 



,, VI. — Assessment of the Quality of the Locality. 



