170 FOEEST PLANTING. 



food; while the pine remains as the stock of standard 

 trees. On the better sandy soils, containing a larger 

 amount of clay, lime, etc., the pine is destined to pre- 

 serve the humidity of the soil, and to protect its co- 

 plants against sun and wind. In this case, therefore, 

 the management should be so directed as to eliminate 

 the evergreens as soon as the deciduous trees have 

 reached the proper age and condition that will enable 

 them to shift for themselves in light soil, and at the 

 same time to constantly protect the soil against sun and 

 wind. For such kind of ground preserves its increasing 

 fertility only when contintially protected against atmo- 

 spheric influences, whereas a removal of the trees and 

 the exposure of the soil to the effects of sun and air 

 make the recovered fertility of the ground disappear 

 very soon. Conclusive evidence of the truth of this as- 

 sertion is furnished by the present condition of the 

 " Landes of Sologne," in France, a barren sand-waste 

 of 100,000 acres, only interrupted by marshes and 

 swamps. And yet history tells us that these " Landes " 

 formerly were covered with a dense forest. Avarice and 

 imprudence of men cleared the woods away, and the 

 " Landes " relapsed into what was their original condi- 

 tion. Therefore, care must be taken to at once replant 

 vacancies and glades with oaks, beeches, hornbeams, etc., 

 at small distances apart — from four to six feet; and to 

 renew stunted or damaged single trees by strong seed- 

 lings. Openings in plantations of very light soil should 

 be filled out with spruces. 



It is, therefore, justly contended that sand-wastes can 

 be reclaimed by sylviculture, because they obtain thereby 

 a fertility which afterwards enables them to produce 

 grain for some time. As soon as this fertility has given 

 out, we have it in our power to regain the lost fertility 

 by reforesting the sand- wastes. 



