78 THE NEW FORESTRY. 



of the abundant humous, containing both the organic and 

 inorganic food of trees, that accumulates on the surface from 

 decaying foliage deposited annually by the trees. In dense 

 plantations a deep layer of vegetable mould is soon formed, 

 and however poor the soil may have been originally, multitudes 

 of roots will be found spreading like a net-work between this 

 mould and the natural soil. . How long a thin, poor mountain 

 soil will go on producing crops of timber under such conditions 

 is shown in the German forests of beech and other species 

 which have succeeded each other naturally for generations. 

 The fir tribe require less food from the soil than the broad- 

 leaved species, hence we find tracts of such species as 

 Scotch nr thriving in pure drifted sands, and spruce 

 on equally poor soils where the climate is cool and moist 

 In British forestry of the past a good deal of ignorance 

 has existed on the subject of soil for trees and tree food, 

 and often caused needless expense in practice. A correct 

 appreciation of the functions of the soil in regard to tree 

 growth lies at the root of the question of planting poor 

 and waste lands. Agricultural crops are no guide for 

 tree planters. Lands practically barren, as regards farm 

 and garden crops, will produce timber. It has been very 

 generally assumed by foresters that trees derived almost the 

 whole of their food from the soil, and the prohibitive cost, 

 only, has prevented planters from going to extravagant lengths 

 in the preparation of the ground. Brown (" Forester, p. 61 ') 

 defines a forest tree as " a body formed out of a few earthy 

 substances, together with air and water," arid his theories on 

 the subject of tree food, soil preparation, deep drainage, etc., 

 are all based upon the idea that the earth is the only store- 

 house of the food of trees, whereas about one-third only of 

 their supply is drawn from that source. 



SECTION V. — ACCESSIBILITY AND PROXIMITY TO A 

 MARKET. 



Generally speaking, every mile further the wood is from 

 the consumer the less the timber is worth to the owner, till a 

 limit may be reached where the margin of profit may dis- 

 appear altogether. This applies more particularly to estates 

 where the woods are not very extensive, nor the supply 

 sufficient to make it worth the consumers' while to put down 

 plant to convert the timber on the spot. It might be different in 



