132 GEOI.OGICAL SURVEY OF NEW JERSEY. 



one in which the trees rest on gravel. It is said that in such 

 situations the trees are apt to be shak}-. 



REPRODUCTION. 



After the young trees grow large enough for the crowns to 

 meet and form a continuous canopy, no new seedlings spring up. 

 A certain amount of light is required for the germination of the 

 seed. The trees are, however, able to bear very considerable 

 shade, both from above and from the side. This is shown by 

 the very long life of suppressed trees and by the extremely 

 crowded character of the woods. When a Cedar forest is cut, 

 young seedlings spring up in great abundance within two or 

 three years. This is, as a rule, a more complete reproduction in 

 dry than wet swamps, chiefly on account of the amount of 

 standing water in the latter. It has been observed that on 

 badly-burned areas, as a rule, no seedlings spring up for a long 

 time, even though there are seed trees close at hand. From this 

 we must conclude either that the seed from which the usual 

 reproduction springs lies dormant in the soil, waiting to germi- 

 nate as soon as there is sufBicient light, or that the burning of 

 the sphagnum makes an inhospitable bed for the germination of 

 the seed. To show how many young plants come up on a well- 

 seeded area, two small plots were marked off, one of twelve 

 square feet, where the ground was completely seeded, and the 

 other of one hundred square feet, where there were five old 

 stumps and the reproduction was not so thick. On the first plot 

 were found 968 plants, which would make 3,513,840 young trees 

 per acre. On the other plot there were 3,200 plants, equivalent 

 to 1,393,920 per acre. 



The youngest tree found to be bearing seed was thirteen years 

 old. 



GROWTH. 



In view of the value of Cedar, it is important to have some 

 definite figures concerning its rate of growth and its reproduc- 

 tive capacity. On account of the regular growth of the trees 

 and the comparatively even stands, a few measurements will 



