342 NATURAL REGENERATION BY SEED. 



enter the forest through one and the same density of the leaf- 

 canopy, and the greater is the danger of erosion. 



Civ) The effectiveness of the preparatory operations. In pro- 

 portion to the effectiveness of the preparatory operations will be 

 the certainty and completenes of the sowing of the ground, the 

 suitability of the soil as a seed-bed and a nourishing medium for 

 the young seedlings produced, and the fitness of the parent trees 

 for the office of nurse and for maintaining the fertility of the soil. 

 Lastly, a considerable amount of advance growth may come up 

 during the preparatory work and not only justify, but even call for, 

 a free style of felling. 



To determine the degree of severity of the seed-felling in any 

 given case is thus a work requiring much experience, a thorough 

 knowledge of prevailing conditions and a nice discrimination ; but 

 the following general rules, which embrace the cases of most fre- 

 quent occurrence, may be usefully laid down : 



A. The felling must be dark whenever the soil has to be pro- 

 tected against erosion, slipping away, excessive drying up, loss of 

 fertility and overgrowth by noxious weeds ; or the seedlings have 

 to be guarded against frost, drought, excessive insolation, hot 

 winds and other injurious atmospheric influences, and against in- 

 vasion by weeds and inferior species and destruction by insects and 

 fire ; or the parent trees have to be saved from being blown down 

 or broken and from excessive transpiration and fire. In other and 

 more specific terms, the felling should be dark : 



(1) On all naturally dry soils ; 



(2) On all very free soils. 



(3) On all rich soils that are liable to be overrun with a rank 

 growth of weeds and brushwood. 



(4) On very poor soils. 



(5) On all steep slopes. 



(6) On all southerly, and, in those parts of India which are 

 exposed to hot winds, also on westerly aspects. 



(7) In all localities in which dry, scorching or very cold or 

 very violent winds blow. 



(8) In all frosty places. 



(9) Wherever insects in the soil are likely to abound. 



(10) In crops composed of superficially-rooted trees. 



(11) In all places in the Himalayas in which vegetation starts 

 anew very early in spring, w r hen frosts can still occur. 



(12) Wherever the new generation is delicate or slow-growing 



