62 Germany. 
The Robinia, which had been brought from America 
in 1638 was also one of those recommended in the mid- 
dle of the 18th century and was much planted until 
Hartig pointed out that the expectations from it were 
entirely misplaced. 
Of course no building material could be expected from 
these species, hence the larch, also a rapid grower, was 
transplanted from the Alps (1730 in Harz mountains) 
and its use was extended as with us to conditions for 
which it was not adapted. 
It was principally a desire for novelty and perhaps for 
better, especially foreign things, that North American 
species were much planted in parks during the first half 
of the 18th century, but, although F. A. J. von Wangen- 
heim’s very competent writings on the American forest- 
flora and on the laws of naturalization (1787) stimu- 
lated interest in that direction, with the single exception 
of the White Pine (P. Strobus), of which large numbers 
were planted, the use of American species for forest 
planting was not inaugurated till nearly 100 years later. 
%. Improvement of the Crop. 
Thinning of stands had been practiced early in the 
16th century, not for improvement of the remaining 
stand so much as to secure fence material, although in 
1531 the observation was already recorded that thinning 
improved and stimulated the remaining growth. 
In the 17th century opposite views, or, at least doubts, 
were expressed in the forest orders, and sometimes thin- 
ning was forbidden. Even in the 18th century some of 
the prominent foresters, Doebel and Beckman, were 
opposed to it, and although others favored the operation, 
the practice of it remained limited. 
