ARTIFICIAL REFORESTATION 25 



But notwithstanding the objections named, Spot Seeding 

 may, in some places, do as well as Strip Seeding. Espe- 

 cially so may it serve a good purpose with the Spruces and 

 the Southern Pines, and also with the Western Hemlock 

 and Douglas Spruce of the Pacific Coast. But in all cases 

 injury is likely to occur to the young trees in felling and 

 removing the mature ones. 



Thus far, in the schemes considered for reproducing for- 

 est trees, dependence has been placed entirely upon Na- 

 ture's production and reckless distribution of seeds, where 

 she gives thousands and thousands for every tree that 

 matures. In Strip and Spot Seeding man aids much in re- 

 moving the danger of suppression of young growth by 

 overshadowing trees or in their being robbed of food and 

 moisture, as none are left to do that, while the surface is 

 left in much better condition for the germination of the 

 seeds because of the more or less disturbance it undergoes 

 in removing the stand, and the consequent exposure of the 

 mineral soil. However satisfactory one or both of these 

 schemes may at times prove to be, there is now but a lim- 

 ited area of forests in this country where either of them 

 can be successfully applied. Each requires a fairly full 

 stand of mature trees to produce seed and in but few situ- 

 ations are there enough such left to justify any dependence 

 being placed upon them. Only with dense forests of valu- 

 able species can they succeed. They may aid, but some one 

 or all of the other systems must be largely adopted if our 

 country is to be supplied with the greatly needed forest 

 products. Nature must be aided in forestry as well as in 

 agriculture. Seeds must be gathered and sown in some 

 fashion and the greatest care should be exercised in select- 

 ing the best species and adopting the best methods of 

 growing trees from them. 



That better methods than any yet named can be chosen 

 there is no question, and these will now be discussed. They 

 are known as Broadcast Sowing, Planting Seeds in Hills, 



