298 GEOIvOGICAIv SURVEY OF NEW JERSEY. 



and render more available the nutritive elements of the soil, but 

 even plantations the soils of which have been carefully pre- 

 pared before planting, produce results which are far from satis- 

 factory. " The poverty of the soil," says Smets, " is the general 

 cause of the failure of the pine in the Campine." The idea has 

 prevailed that the Scotch-pine can succeed everywhere, that it 

 only demands a trace of nutritive elements, that every soil suits 

 it. Although the demands on the soil by this pine may be less 

 than other forestal species, nevertheless a soil may reach an 

 almost hopeless sterile stage after years of cropping by the 

 removal of wood and the surface humus and soil. It is well 

 known, too, that trees on such soil are more subject to disease 

 and quickly succumb. They are simply stunted by starvation. 

 Young trees en masse are, it is said, as exacting in their demands 

 upon the soil as a crop of rye.* Although, as I have already 

 said in the previous chapter of this report, very little reliance 

 can be placed in the chemical examination of a soil, the absence 

 of one essential ingredient may compromise the whole crop. 

 When a tree grows rapidly and reproduces itself abundantly, as 

 occurs in the pine-lands of South Jersey, it is evidence enough, 

 without chemical examinations, that the soil is in good condi- 

 tion, no matter how barren it may appear. In the Plains of 

 South Jersey, which are treeless, only one essential may be lack- 

 ing or the difficulty may be a physical one. According to 

 Schiitze, pineries may be classified as follows : 



Phosphoric Acid, Potash, Lime (Chaux), 



Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 



Pinery, ist class 0.0501 0.0457 1.8876 



2d 



" 3d 

 4th 



" Stli 

 6th 



0.0569 0.0632 0.1622 



0.0388 0.1221 0.1224 



0.0299 0.0392 0.0963 



0.0236 0.0241 0.0270 



0.0236 0.0215 0.0458 



The Expt. Station Record gives tables which, in general, 

 show the limits assigned to rich and to poor soils. They are as 

 follows : 



* The sands of the Golden Gate Park were so poor in nature that barley sown on its surface after 

 being ploughed and cultivated in a favorable season with plenty of moisture, grew only about six inches 

 in height and failed to perfect its seed. After planting sea-grass to fix the sand and lupines to enrich the 

 soil, the trees which were planted only grew to a height of ten feet, owing to the lack of nutriment in the 

 soil. See the Reclamation of Drifting Sand Dunes, in the Forester, for October, iSgg. 



