134 North American Forests and Forestry 



the younger individuals, as well as all trees belong- 

 ing to unmarketable species. Even on the areas 

 where the lumbermen have made a clean cut of the 

 original timber, new trees will come up of them- 

 selves, from seeds blown from the surrounding 

 forests, or falling from occasional individuals left 

 standing. At first the new growth of trees is apt 

 to come up in scattered groups ; but as these first 

 comers arrive at an age where they bear seed 

 themselves, they fill up the spaces with their off- 

 spring, and after a while the whole tract is again 

 densely timbered — always provided that fire, cattle, 

 and other injurious causes have not hindered the 

 normal development. 



While thus nature herself provides, in most 

 cases, for the reforesting of the lands man has 

 denuded, it does not follow that all the art of the 

 forester should do under such circumstances is to 

 protect the young wood from injury. That would 

 be much, a great deal more, in fact, than is ordinarily 

 done in this country. But it would be very far 

 from getting the best result, that is, the largest 

 amount of cash when the crop is harvested again. 

 Many people probably imagine that a primeval 

 wood, " by nature's own hand planted," cannot be 

 surpassed in the number and size of its trees, and 

 consequently the amount of wood to be derived 

 from it. But the very opposite is true. No wild 

 forest can ever equal a cultivated one in productive- 

 ness. To hope that it will is very much as if a 

 farmer were to expect a full harvest from the grain 



