254 



Garden and Forest. 



[May 21, 1890. 



which, according to their yield-capacity, are classed as first, 



second and third class, is as follows : 



I. II. III. 

 Cubic feet at the age of 50 years, . . 5060 3940 2700 

 Cubic feet at the age of 100 years, . . 8390 6410 4910 



The figures of these yield-tables Dr. Schlich has found, to a 

 certain extent, to be applicable to Scotch Pine-forests in En- 

 gland. Some of the data of those tables have already been 

 used in the preceding remarks. They can also be used in 

 order to assess the yield-capacity of any locality stocked with 

 Scotch Pine in England. Eventually, similar yield-tables must 

 be prepared for the principal forest-trees of North America, 

 and this is a work which ought to be undertaken by the Federal 

 Government, or by the governments of individual states, for 

 the benefit of forest-proprietors. 



Before, however, such work can be undertaken with any 

 prospect of useful result, two conditions must be fulfilled : 

 The first condition is, that a unit of measurement must be 

 adopted for all classes of timber. In countries with the met- 

 rical system it is the cubic metre ; in Great Britain, India and 

 the Colonies it is the cubic foot — and this it may, perhaps, be 

 found convenient generally to adopt in North America. The 

 second condition is, that state forests are constituted, perma- 

 nently demarcated so as to be safe against encroachment, and 

 that their management is properly organized. Without such 

 public forests it will not be possible to prepare yield-tables or 

 to collect any other statistical data necessary to serve as a 

 guide to forest-proprietors in the proper management of their 

 estates. 



The second chapter deals with the shape and development 

 of forest-trees, but we can refer only to what the author says 

 regarding height-growth. Building again clriefly upon re- 

 searches made in Germany, Dr. Schlich explains how the dif- 

 ferent species have a different mode of height-growth. On 

 page 163 an instructive diagram will be found exhibiting the 

 relative height-growth of Spruce, Silver Fir, Beech and Scotch 

 Pine in a locality of the first quality. At the age of fifty years 

 the mean height attained by each species is as follows : 



Scotch Pine, 64 feet. 



Beech, . . . . . . . 60 " 



Spruce 55 " 



Silver Fir, . . . . . . 40 " 



At a later age Spruce and Silver Fir take the lead, while Beech 

 and Scotch Pine remain behind in the race ; and when 120 

 years old the order of the species stands as follows : 

 Spruce, . . . . . .118 feet. 



Silver Fir, 108 " 



Beech 102 " 



Scotch Pine, . . . . . 97 " 



Scotch Pine and Beech, therefore, make the principal height- 

 growth during the first period of their life, whereas Spruce and 

 Silver Fir continue to grow vigorously in height to a much 

 greater age, Spruce more so than Silver'Fir. The progress of 

 height-growth of the different species is much affected by the 

 character of the soil, by elevation, the more or less crowded 

 state of the wood and other circumstances, but under other- 

 wise similar conditions it will always be found that deep, 

 fresh, fertile soil produces much taller trees than shallow, dry 

 or rocky soil. 



In the third chapter, which deals with the character and 

 composition of woods, the author points out that the object 

 of silviculture is not to rear isolated trees, but considerable 

 masses of trees, forming more or less crowded woods. Pure 

 woods consist of one species only, or of one species with a 

 slight admixture of others, whereas mixed woods contain a 

 mixture of two or more species. The advantages of mixed 

 woods are clearly set forth, and the author's remarks on this 

 subject may be specially recommended to the attention of 

 proprietors and managers of woodlands in America. 



The last and most important chapter deals with the silvi- 

 cultural systems — that is, the different methods under which 

 the creation, regeneration, tending and utilization of woods 

 are effected. The three well known classes are : first, high 

 forest, originating in seedlings, either self-sown or artificially 

 raised ; second, coppice, which regenerates itself from cop- 

 pice-shoots ; and third, coppice with standards, a combination 

 of seedling and coppice-forest. The modifications of these 

 three main systems are numerous, and particularly the treat- 

 ment of high forest has developed in a great variety of ways. 

 On this subject we must refer the reader to the manual. 

 These are matters which can hardly be fully understood with- 

 out opportunities for obtaining practical experience of forests 

 treated under the various systems described. Such oppor- 

 tunities cannot at present be found in the United States. For 



that purpose students will have to go to Germany or France. 

 And this necessity of studying forestry abroad will continue 

 until a commencement on an adequate scale has been made 

 in the United States to manage forests on a comprehensive 

 and well considered plan. 



This remark must not be understood to mean that those 

 who have not studied forestry in Germany or France are not 

 competent to undertake the management of forests in America. 

 A commencement must be made ; the sooner it is made the 

 better, and it would be a mistake to wait until a sufficient num- 

 ber of men, trained in their profession abroad, were available. 

 Any one, however, who can afford the time for studying for- 

 estry in France or Germany will find such study the most use- 

 ful preparation for forest-work in America. The different 

 systems of treatment which have been developed in Ger- 

 many for the Scotch Pine, the Spruce, the Silver Fir, the Oak, 

 the Ash and the Beech cannot, as they stand, be applied to the 

 forest-trees of America and to the widely different conditions 

 of climate which are found in the different regions of the 

 United States. New methods must be devised on the ground 

 of actual experience in America, but a thorough practical 

 knowledge of the European system will be found most useful 

 as a guide. The operations that will most completely secure 

 the regeneration of the White Pine, the Douglas Fir, the Red- 

 wood, the Long-leaved Pine and other forest-trees of North 

 America, either naturally or by sowing and planting, will 

 doubtless be similar to those which have been brought to the 

 present state of perfection by the persistent labors of foresters 

 in France and Germany, particularly in Germany. The same 

 remark applies to all other operations necessary to organize 

 the systematic management of forests in America, the demar- 

 cation of forests, the settlement of forest- rights, the division of 

 the forest into blocks and compartments, — the preparation of 

 working-plans, the arrangements for its protection and the 

 organization of the staff of administration, the executive and 

 protective officers. For the arrangement of all these matters 

 in America the experience which has been gained in Europe 

 will serve as a most useful guide, and it would be a waste of 

 time, of strength and of money not to utilize that experience to 

 the utmost. Hence it will be of great advantage in America, 

 as it has been under analogous circumstances in India, if as 

 many as possible of the foresters who are to inaugurate the 

 new system of forest-management have received a thorough 

 training in their profession, both practical and theoretical. Nor 

 is there any doubt that under existingcircumstancestheforests 

 of Germany or France, and particularly those of Germany, 

 offer the best opportunities for such professional training. 



Allusion has already been made to the necessity of com- 

 mencing the collection of statistical data upon which to build 

 yield-tables for the more important of the American timber- 

 trees. This is only one of numerous important subjects 

 which must be studied systematically by means of scientific- 

 ally arranged researches, the object of which will be to ascer- 

 tain mode and rate of growth, to determine the effect of dif- 

 ferent methods of treatment and to obtain replies to many 

 questions connected with forest-management. It has already 

 been said that the duty of conducting these scientific re- 

 searches, which are necessary to aid systematic forest-man- 

 agement, must be undertaken by the state, because it is not 

 likely that private forest-proprietors will devote their time and 

 their means to such matters. Those who may undertake 

 these researches should certainly have received a complete 

 professional training in forestry and in the sciences upon 

 which the forester's profession is built up. They ought to 

 have seen themselves how such researches are conducted in 

 those countries where forestry is best understood. A com- 

 mencement of collecting statistical data concerning the forests 

 of North America has already been made by the Forest 

 Division of the Department of Agriculture; it is therefore rea- 

 sonable to suppose that the state will undertake this part of the 

 work. It cannot, however, be carried on with any prospect of 

 satisfactory results unless state-forests in the different great 

 forest-regions are formed and managed on a good system. 



It might be deemed preferable not to attempt the systematic 

 management of forests on a large scale until their scientific 

 researches have given results which admit of practical appli- 

 cation, and until they have furnished definite precepts for the 

 treatment of the different classes of forests. Such a proposal 

 should not be listened to for a moment. A commencement 

 must be made at once; the sooner the better. The best must 

 be done under the circumstances. There may be failures, 

 and the best method of treatment will certainly not be hit upon 

 at once. The shrewd common sense, the keen eye to busi- 

 ness of Americans, aided by a good knowledge of forest-man- 

 agement as practiced in Europe, will eventually hit upon the 



