016 FOREST LITTER. 



precursors of the complete disappearance of forests, aui those 

 who erroneously allow such au interference with the laws of 

 Nature will soon realise how she aven<res herself. 



Section \1. — Value of Foi;est Litter for Agriculture. 



The very existence ol agriculture depends on a suffic-ieni 

 supply of manure. Both agricultural and forest land require 

 that all soil-constituents which the crops have taken from them 

 — in fact their own ash-constituents — should be restored, or 

 they will become sterile. In order to meet the constantly 

 increasing demands on the soil made by agricultural crops, 

 every farmer nowadays, besides using imported artificial manure, 

 endeavours as much as possible to increase the supply from his 

 own farmyard. In order, however, to obtain more farmyard 

 manure, more fodder-crops must be grown, and any scarcity of 

 hay, clover, &c., must be met by using straw. But stalleil 

 cattle require litter partly to afford them dry bedding, and 

 partly for the absorption of their excreta ; when therefore there 

 is not sufficient straw for this purpose, a substitute may be 

 found in dead forest leaves, needles and weeds. There are in 

 (jermany many farms where all the straw is used for fodder, 

 or sold, and only forest litter used for bedding. Hence during 

 the present century the belief has spread, that forest litter 

 is more or less indispensable for tlic farmer, and the forest 

 owner is practically obliged to supply it. 



The questions must therefore be discussed, first, what is the 

 agricultural value of the different kinds of forest litter; and 

 secondly, under what circimistances forest litter is a real necessity 

 for agriculture. 



1. A(iriciiltiinil ralne of Forest Litter. 



The agricultural value of the different kinds of forest litter 

 depends on their value as manure, and as material for bedding. 

 Some other factors are also important, such as the comparative 

 rapidity with which they decompose, their effect in rendering 

 soil porous, &c. 



The amount of contained ash -constituents (i)hosphoric acid, 

 p:)tash, i.'v.'c.} and of nitrogenous comi)ounds decide the manurial 



