356 NATURAL HEGEiySRATION BY SEED. 



artificial regeneration need seldom be undertaken before the last 

 after-felling. The natural growth in the midst of which the new- 

 plants are to be put down being pretty advanced, the necessity 

 of using transplants of equal size and vigour is still more neces- 

 sary here than in the preceding case. 



(iv) To increase the proportion of a species that is insiificiently 

 represented in the naturally produced crop. Here we must always 

 plant, adopting a rectangular pattern in order to economise labour, 

 money and seedlings. If the species in question is shade-enduring 

 and delicate, rather smaller plants than those composing the natural 

 growth should be used. All the planting spots should be cleared 

 of every kind of growth. The planting cannot be commenced 

 earlier than just after the last-but-one after-felling. 



(v) To introduce a neio species or one that has no fertile repre- 

 sentives in the parent crop. If sowing is permissible, it must 

 generally be taken in hand immediately after the completion of 

 the seed-felling. Otherwise, as soon as the leaf-canopy is open 

 enough, seedlings of the' size most likely to be successful must be 

 put down. 



ARTICLE 4. 



Value and employment of the method. 



In order that the procedure sketched out in the preceding articles 

 may be feasible in its entirety sevei-al necessary conditions must be 

 present. Firstly, the forest should be pretty regular, and this 

 it can be only if the main factors of production, viz., the soil, the 

 climate and the species, are everywhere the same. Secondly, the age 

 of complete fertility should not be very different from the age of 

 exploitability ; if complete fertility is delayed beyond the latter age 

 regeneration obviously becomes impossible, and if the trees become 

 fully fertile very early, advance growth makes its appearance before 

 the preparatory fellings can be made and these and the seed- 

 felling disappear entirely out of the series of regeneration opera- 

 tions ; moreover, the preservation and fostering of the advance 

 growth then becomes the functi>m of a totally different kind of 

 felling. Thirdly, regeneration ought to be completely under con- 

 „ trol and capable of being effected within a very limited period of 

 time ; if the required number of seedlings does not appear soon 

 after the seed-TelKng has been made, the soil suffers from exposure 

 and gets overrun with a heavy growth of weeds and thus regenera- 

 tion becomes even more difficult and uncertain than it was before; 



