THE THREE GREAT SYSTEMS OF REGENERATION COMPARED. 409 



Artlfcial Regeneration. Natural Regeneration by Regeneration by Coppice. 



Seed. 



results in the largest pos- shorter and more knotty 

 sible accumulation of stand- and mis-shappen than those 

 ing produce and, therefore, of trees grown in artificially- 

 in the largest measure of raised crops. If only fire- 

 annual enjoyment. wood is wanted, then other 



circumstances not being pro- 

 hibitive, the coppice regime 

 is to be preferred owing to 

 the greater rapidity and cer- 

 tainty of regeneration, the 

 early realisation of market- 

 able produce, the facility 

 and extreme regxilarity of 

 work, the large annual in- 

 crement of production, and 

 the very low cost. 



The preceding comparative review of the three great systems of 

 regeneration shows that no one of the three can be said to be the 

 best in every case. It may happen that in even one and the same 

 crop the first gives the best results at one point, the second at 

 another, and the third at a third, so that while some one of them 

 must be generally adopted, the results would be incomplete with- 

 out the supplementary help of one or both of the rest. Hence no 

 hard and fast rule can be laid down as to when one system should 

 be employed and when another, and the best plan will always be to 

 so combine any two or all three of them, as to secure to the fullest 

 extent the respective advantages offered by each, while ob- 

 viating, or at least minimising, their attendant disadvantages. 

 We have already seen instances of such combinations under the 

 uniform method (pp. 354-35G), and also in describing coppice 

 regeneration (pp. 401-3). A further instance would be the 

 partial artificial restocking, with some hardy species, of more or 

 less exposed ground under old open forest, in order to facilitate 

 natural sowing when the seed-felling falls due. For the benefit of 

 the student we may briefly summarise the various possible combi- 

 nations as follows : 



I. Artificial regeneration ivitli natural regeneration l>y seed, 

 in which case the former may (i) precede or (ii) follow or (iii) be 

 simultaneous with, the latter. 



II. Artificial regeneration with coppice, of which combination 

 there will be two separate cases according as stores are or are not 

 kept. 



III. Natural regeneration ty seed with coppice. If the former 

 is the main system adopted, than coppicing is resorted to in order 

 to restore damaged seedlings and to keep back inferior growth 



