GRASS-CUTTING. 531 



ripens. More mineral matter is therefore taken from the soil 

 when the grass is cut and removed, than when litter is utilized, 

 and onl}^ moist rich soil can withstand this. On poor soil the 

 practice must not be adopted. Persistent grass-cutting for a 

 series of years on poor soil reduces not only the production 

 of wood, but even of the grass itself, which eventually dis- 

 appears. 



Localities, which under the influence of the factors referred 

 to in the first section of this chapter produce large quantities of 

 grass, may be distinguished as permanent, or temporary, grass 

 areas. To the former belong regular forest meadows, which 

 owing to their naturally moist condition are adapted for a 

 prolonged supply of good grass. Temporary grass -areas include 

 all those destined for the production of wood, but which, during 

 the young stages of woody growth, are adapted for the production 

 of grass ; besides these, all blanks in the forest, such as the sides 

 of ditches, road-sidings, fire-lines and other similar places may 

 be here included, which unlike permanent meadows are not kept 

 clear from woody plants expressly for grass-production. 



The permanent grass-areas are lands contained in the forest 

 area, but used for the production of grass : these are lands 

 liable to inundations from rivers and brooks or near perma- 

 nent springs which atford the necessary supplies of subsoil 

 moisture ; lower parts of valleys between mountainous slopes ; 

 Alpine pastures or similar areas with rich moist soil in moun- 

 tainous countries. Wherever there are extensive areas of 

 this nature, and fodder is scarce, every means should be 

 employed which the farmer uses to improve his meadows ; 

 often only a small expenditure is necessary to obtain a better 

 crop of grass by removing stones and rocks, draining swamps, 

 or planting rows of trees far apart. It is not only the direct 

 utility to the forest which should be considered by the forest 

 manager, but public duty also should impel him to endeavour 

 strenuously to increase the local supply of fodder, especially 

 in essentially forest districts where the poor peasantry are 

 constantly increasing in numbers and becoming more and more 

 impoverished. 



For a temporary supply of grass the most important places 

 are : — areas of recent fellings ; plantations with moist, grass- 



il M 2 



