EFFECTS OF ITS REMOVAL. 618 



many places, regarding the direct loss of wood-increment from 

 continuous removal of litter. 



The careful observations madeby Dr.Bleuel,* on experimental 

 forest areas in Bavaria, are extremely valuable. He states that by 

 annual removal of litter for 23 to 30 years in older beech-woods, 

 the wood-increment fell in different cases by 32, 39, 42, and 

 even 56%, on inferior soils ; but that on good basalt, in the 

 Rhone-valley, the loss was only 8%. In Scotch pine-woods of 

 good quality the loss where the litter was removed annually, 

 was I'D, 9"3 and 10"y% ; where it was utilized every three years, 

 in beech-woods in the Spessart, 13%, and when utilized every 

 six years, 10%. These observations thoroughly prove that the 

 loss of increment continues to increase with the number of years 

 during which the litter is utilized. 



(b) Effects of using Branch-litter. 



The importance of the use of branch-litter should be con- 

 sidered from three points of view. In the first place, needles 

 are organs of nutrition and any considerable reduction in their 

 number tends to starve the trees. Secondly, young shoots are 

 richest in ash-constituents. Even leafless twigs, especially 

 when furnished with numerous buds, contain nearly as large a 

 percentage of ash as the foliage. By lopping the crowns of 

 trees it is evident that the material for forming ground-litter 

 and humus is diminished. Wherever the soil requires litter to 

 render it productive, persistent lopping must be as injurious as 

 removal of ground-litter. Finally, stems which have been 

 lopped, when sawn, yield inferior planking with loose knots. 



Lopping branches for litter is therefore injurious to woods 

 which are intended to remain standing. The usage is least 

 injurious in mature age- classes of spruce and silver-fir, if 

 practised with moderation late in the winter and care is taken 

 that the least possible amount of injury is done to the standing 

 crop. There is no harm in thus utilizing the branches of felled 

 trees on regular felling-areas. 



The dense crowns of spruce and silver-fir can stand lopping 



* Influence of the removal of litter on the production of wood in the Spessart 

 heech forest, Wiirzburg, 1S90. Further works by the same author, re<(arding 

 forests in the Rhone-valley, the Steigerwald, &c. 



