318. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW JERSEY. 
The Danes are great believers in pure stands, and instead of 
producing 500 spindling oaks on a hectare of land, are content 
with 200 sturdy, well-crowned specimens, because it pays. 
Great attention is paid to the soil. Their aim is to keep the 
surface covered with a coating of damp, mellow leaf-mold. 
They are the friends of the earthworm, and do everything 
‘possible to encourage this assiduous little animal, which does 
good work in keeping the soil loose and mellow.* 
Very careful protective measures are necessary throughout 
Jutland, because of the winds. Wind-breaks of trees and shrubs, 
and turfed earthbanks are necessary, otherwise the winds would 
shift the soil from place to place. 
Metzger describes a beech forest 300 meters from the sea. 
The outer edge consisted of an impenetrable hedge of clipped 
beech, ten meters in width. The soil was full of earthworms. 
No peasant rights or onerous servitudes exist in Denmark. 
The Danish foresters do not combine hunting with their profes- 
sion. They carry a spade rather than a gun. In short they 
are the Yankees of Europe, from whom we can learn many 
things. 
* The importance of soil aeration is often overlooked by foresters and soil cultivators. When a large 
forest fauna is present, especially earthworms, the soil is kept mellow and sweet, and hardpan and peat 
are less apt to form. When there is an abundance of these animals in the soil, it is usually an indication 
that the soil is in good condition. 
+ In the use of scientific names of trees in the above I have been guided by the “‘ Check-list of the 
Forest Trees of the United States,’ by George B. Sudworth, Division of Forestry, Dept of Agriculture, 
Washington, D.C. 
