23'^ 



THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



Natural mixed 

 forest. 



Mixture by 

 groups. 



average growing stock in a first-class forest in Germany has been 

 found to be on a fully stocked acre of — 



Silver fir 17,400 cubic feet "i 



Spruce 14,500 ,, > Age 120 years. 



Scotch pine ... ... ... 9,780 ,, ) 



and he points out that where an acre is calculated to produce 100 

 trees, after all thinnings are over, these will thicken and mature 

 to an average of 100 cubic feet each in 100 years — that is, 10,000 

 cubic feet per acre. There are miles and miles of forests in 

 Germany which, when mature, will yield this steady average, 

 though, of course, on inferior soil the crop will be far lighter. 

 How many acres of plantation are there in Great Britain yielding 

 such a crop? For 100 acres which will carry that amount there 

 are probably a million of so-called plantation that will not average 

 per acre, when fit to cut, 3,000 cubic feet of inferior, coarse, and 

 mixed timber, the only reason being want of knowledge in 

 planting, thinning, and management, due to the exigencies of life- 

 ownership and the baneful influence of the Scottish system. 



Regarding the mixing of different species on the same ground, 

 Nature teaches that, as a rule, each species occupies its own 

 position, depending on latitude, aspect, elevation, and soil. But 

 often two congenial species coincide in their choice of locality, 

 as in Europe spruce and silver fir keep to the cool slopes of hills 

 facing north, and are found highest up, while trees of the genus 

 J>{nu9 prefer the sunny sides of the hills and various elevations, 

 some higher, some lower. Where these areas overlap one another 

 there are mixed forests. Hard-wood trees, such as oaks, beech, 

 and acacias, have a greater tendency to mix. Deciduous trees 

 come in climates intermediate between evergreen pines and ever- 

 green tropical species, such as sal and saj, and among the immense 

 numbers of different species found in India there must be a more 

 or less mixed condition of the forest ; but such mixture is most 

 frequently by groups or patches, one sort following the sides of 

 streams, another preferring steep and rocky precipices, another 

 warm, sheltered valleys, another swampy flats, another dry uplands. 

 Differences of soil also induce certain varieties, and the nature of 

 the subsoil, whether sandy or clay or rocky, or of gravel or loose 

 boulders. Every change of species has a reason, and the effect 

 of given conditions is constant. 



