34 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN THE ADIRONDACKS, 
its development, but in many cases where the soil is so poor that no 
other tree will grow. It is most abundant on the brows of ridges, on 
knolls, steep slopes, along the edges of lakes, and often on moist ground. 
On high land it must contend with the numerous and persistent hard- 
woods, which, in capacity to bear shade, in height growth, and in repro- 
ductive capacity, are fully equal to it. 
TOLERANCE. 
The fact that young seedlings and small trees are so widely dis- 
tributed through the forest is due in part to the ability of this tree to 
grow under shade. This does not mean that the Spruce will not flourish 
in the light, but merely that it is tolerant of the heavy cover which is © 
a distinguishing characteristic of the hardwood forest in the Adiron- 
dacks and throughout New England. Specimens from 100 to 150 years 
old, and less than 6 inches in diameter, are common. Such trees have 
survived on the sunlight which could penetrate the heavy crowns above 
them, and, although not in vigorous health, are capable of continuing 
the struggle to an advanced age. This ability to tolerate heavy shade 
is common to large numbers of forest trees, among which both the 
Beech and the Hard Maple excel the Spruce in this regard. But few 
trees possess the wonderful capacity of the Spruce to recover from long 
years of suppression and grow almost or quite as vigorously and rapidly 
after it is ended as though all the conditions of life had been favorable 
from the beginning. It is to this capacity more than any other that 
the Spruce owes its presence in the Adirondack forests. Slow of growth 
in youth, and germinating for the most part under heavy shade, the 
Spruce could not survive in the hardwood forest, where it reaches its 
best development, except by the combination of these two qualities— 
the ability to bear shade and the power to flourish vigorously when the 
Suppression is over. (PI. X, fig. 1.) 
This power of tolerance is not restricted to early life, although very 
marked at that time, but contiuues into age as well. Thus, in Nehasane 
Park several trees but 9 inches in diameter were found to have more 
than 200 annual rings on the stump, and of eighteen Spruces with 
diameters ranging from 8.5 to 9.4 inches, but seven were younger than 
150 years, and none were younger than 100 years. One Spruce stump 
4.5 inches in diameter had 121 annualrings. These trees had grown for 
years crowded and shaded by their more thrifty neighbors. Under such 
circumstances it is common to find small trees still alive, but with 
_ flattened and umbrella-shaped crowns (PI. X, fig. 2). Even such trees 
are not beyond the possibility of usefulness. If the shade be removed 
they will usually begin to grow as vigorously as though they had never 
been suppressed. If the leading shoot has been killed, which is some- 
times the case, a side branch will turn upward and take its place, and 
the growth, although somewhat retarded by the accident, will go 
rapidly on. A considerable proportion of all the large Red Spruce in 
