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CHAPTER II. 



AETIFICIAL FORMATION OF WOODS. 



Section I. — Direct Sowing. 



By " direct sowing " is understood the formation of a wood 

 by the sowing of seed directly on the area which it is proposed 

 to stock. This can be done in various ways. Whatever the 

 chosen method may be, its success depends on considerations 

 which hold good, more or less, for all ; hence, the general 

 conditions of success must be dealt with, before a description 

 of the different methods of sowing can be given. 



A. Conditions of Success. 



1. Choice of Species. 



The considerations which guide the forester in the selection 

 of the species to be grown have been given in chapter I. In 

 this place attention must be drawn to the fact, that under the 

 system of direct sowing only a moderate amount of protection 

 can be given to the seed in the ground and to the young seed- 

 lings which may spring up. Trees with delicate seeds and 

 seedlings, or expensive seeds, are, therefore, less suited to this 

 method than hardy species which thrive easily, and especially 

 those with large seeds. 



2. Qualitij of Seed. 



It is of paramount importance to use only good seed. The 

 quality of the seed depends principally on its being perfectly 

 ripe and on its weight, size, age and origin. 



a. Weight and Size. 

 In the case of one and the same species large heavy seeds 

 are better than small light ones. The former generally 

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