98 ECONOMICS OF FORESTRY. 



of the forest trees and their life history and of all 

 that pertains to their growth and production, com- 

 bines further knowledge which enables him to 

 manage a forest property so as to produce certain 

 conditions resulting in the highest attainable rev- 

 enue from the soil by wood-crops. 



The virgin forest grows where it pleases, and as 

 it pleases, without reference to the needs of man. 

 It covers the rich agricultural soils as well as the 

 dry and thin soils of the mountain slope and top ; it 

 may encumber the ground which can more profit- 

 ably be employed in the production of food-mate- 

 rials, and it may be absent where its protection 

 is needed for human comfort or for successful 

 agriculture. 



I Nature produces weeds — ^^tree weeds — and use- 

 ' f ul species side by side ; she does not care for the 

 composition of the crop ; tree growth, whatever the 

 kind, satisfies her laws of development; nor has 

 she concern with the form of the component trees, 

 — they may be branched and crooked, short and 

 tapering. In time, in a long time, she too may 

 produce long clear shafts, but by her methods 

 such results will only be accomplished in cen- 

 turies ; nature takes no account of time or space, 

 both of which are lavishly at her command. The 

 area of virgin forest which we harvest to-day has 

 produced a tithe of the useful material which it is 

 capable of producing, and has taken two to three- 

 fold the time which it would take under skilful 



