\yo ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY. 



and sprout ; and, as the young seedlings require 

 more light for their development, gradually more 

 of the older timber is removed, or the openings are 

 enlarged for new crops of young growth, and thus 

 the reproduction is secured gradually, while har- 

 vesting the old crop. 



Finally, when the last stick of old timber has 

 been removed — and in a well-developed forestry 

 system every stick is expected to be utilized — 

 a young growth composed as far as possible only 

 of the more useful kinds has taken the place of 

 the virgin forest, to grow until it becomes profit- 

 able to harvest again, when the same methods will 

 secure another reproduction, and so on. 



To be sure, these operations are not quite so 

 simple as they appear from this statement, for 

 considerable knowledge of the requirements of 

 each species and judgment of the needs of the 

 young crop for its best development are needed to 

 secure a successful regeneration, two requisites 

 secured by study and experience, which, for Amer- 

 ican species and conditions, are still lacking to a 

 large extent. 



The progress and manner in which the natural re- 

 generation by seed is secured give rise to variously 

 named methods and to various results in the ap- 

 pearance and development of the young crop ; but 

 in all of these so-called natural regeneration meth- 

 ods the young crop is secured by seed falling from 

 the mother trees on or near the ground to be re- 



