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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Photo by E. T. Kirk. 



A Sample of Natural Seeding. 



THE FINE YOUNG WHITE PINE STAND IN THE FOREGROUND, WAS SEEDED BY THE ADJOINING SEED TREES. THE 

 BLANK SPACE IN THE IMMEDIATE FOREGROUND COULD EASILY BE PLANTED TO MAKE THE STAND FULLY STOCKED 

 AND INCREASE ITS VALUE IN THE FUTURE. 



species ; or for windbreak or for aesthetic 

 effects, etc. 



Cultivation of the forest crop, as out- 

 lined above, will prove just as profitable 

 as the proper tillage of other farm crops. 

 It has the advantage of being a winter 

 crop and the work is done when other 

 work is slack. 



Proper forestry methods aim, so far as 

 practicable, to insure enough light to 

 the best individuals of the best species, 

 so as to allow them to make their best 

 growth, and at the same time to main- 

 tain the stand dense enough to produce 

 good, tall, clean trunks. Light is 

 absolutely essential to tree growth, as 

 it causes the raw material taken from 

 the soil and air to be manufactured by 

 the leaves into plant food; the more 

 light, the more food is available and 



the more rapid is the growth of the tree. 

 From a forestry standpoint, light and 

 moisture are the most important factors, 

 because they are the ones most sus- 

 ceptible to control by forestry methods. 



A guide to proper forest practice is to 

 maintain such a cover as will improve 

 the soil conditions. This is generally 

 accomplished by maintaining, as nearly 

 as possible, a complete shade for the 

 ground. The leaves and other decaying 

 vegetable matter add very much to the 

 richness of the soil, forming a good 

 humus and leaf mold. But if exposed 

 to too much light and heat, this humus 

 does not form from the leaves, and their 

 nourishment is wasted. 



To prevent drying out of soils, a dense 

 border at the edge of the woods should 

 be maintained. Should the border of 



