8o THE NEW FORESTRY. 



CHAPTER VI. 



PURE AND MIXED WOODS. 



Pure Woods. — Mixed Woods. — Conifera Mixtures. — Mixtures of Broad- 

 leaved Species. — General Mixtures. — Grouped Woods. 



SECTION I. — PURE WOODS. 



WOODS are said to be pure when they consist of only one 

 species, and mixed when they consist of several. Great tracts 

 of pure natural forests exist in different parts of the world. 

 Mixed forests are not so common, and where they do occur 

 they usually consist of but few species of similar habit of 

 growth, as when the disparity is great in that respect the 

 weaker species disappear in the struggle for existence. It is 

 held by some that certain species succeed best when mixed 

 with others, as, for example, the larch and oak ; but we believe 

 all the species usually grown for timber in this country can be 

 grown successfully 'by themselves. Pure woods are more 

 easily managed than mixed woods, because there is less in- 

 equality in the rate of growth among the trees than exists m 

 the latter, unless the species are very carefully selected. 

 From a landscape point of view pure woods are most effective, 

 particularly when composed of any of the pine or fir family, 

 which may be planted so as to give a rather tame landscape 

 a beautiful sub-alpine aspect, very different from that produced 

 by round-headed broad-leaved species. Pure woods are also 

 considered most profitable, and in the planted forests of Euro- 

 pean States they are the rule, or the mixture consists of few 

 species. One disadvantage of pure woods, on private estates, 

 is that they do not permit of as many species being grown as 

 might be desired, but that might be got over to some extent 

 by adopting the " grouping system " described elsewhere in this 

 chapter. 



