FOEESTKT FOR SOUTHERN XEW EN^GLAXD. 13 



]Manv places would be found where the old trees have already injured 

 the younger ones about them so much that the latter could never 

 recover. Then both the old and the suppressed and injured trees 

 would be cut clean (except for what might be needed to shade the 

 ground) to make way for an entirely new growth. This work, how- 

 ever, would be essentially reproduction cutting. Extensive cuttings of 

 exactly this kind have been made on the Biltmore estate, in North 

 Carolina. 



Another kind of irregular forest is found when a dense growth of 

 Cedar. Birch, and other trees forms an uneven stand on old pastures. 

 In such a forest there are always stragglers crowding smaller trees of 

 better species and better form: intermediate trees crowding up against 

 thrifty dominant ones, and a great many suppressed trees. In such 

 cases the dominant stragglers can usually be removed with safety to 

 the forest, because of the large amount of small growth beneath them. 

 The removal of the other trees follows the general principles already 

 set forth. 



Still another common case is that of an old pasture covered with 

 Cedars, ranging in age from 20 to 50 years, almost to the exclusion 

 of other trees. Here improvement cuttings should be very heavy. 

 All suppressed and the majority of the intermediate trees should be 

 removed, leaving only the dominant trees which have large crowns, 

 with an open space of about 5 feet between the crowns. The reason 

 for this is that a Cedar grows very slowly when crowded at all. and 

 in order to produce posts within forty years requires a full crown and 

 abundant light. 



Still another example of an irregular stand is a sprout wood on a 

 north slope, under which a dense growth of Hemlock has come up. 

 These sprouts can be removed as soon as they show signs of deterio- 

 ration, leaving the Hemlock in their place. The same rule applies to 

 the Birch and Poplar stands of Massachusetts, under which White Pine 

 grows so abundantly. 



The improvement cuttings which accompan}^ the selection method 

 of reproduction cuttings described below consist in taking out sup- 

 pressed trees which could never recover, even if the shade above them 

 were removed, and such trees of the intermediate class as are crowding 

 thrifty dominant individuals. 



EEPRODUCTIOX CUTTINGS. 



THE SELECTION METHOD. 



Cuttings made with the expectation that a new growth of trees will 

 replace those removed are classed as reproduction cuttings. In the 

 so-called selection method the woodlot owner selects and cuts trees 

 here and there which may suit his purpose. After the trees are taken 

 out a young growth of sprouts or seedlings, or both, springs up in the 



