54 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN THE ADIRONDACKS. 
in low, moist situations, but it avoids acid soil. It is found, however, 
on high ground, and the largest specimens observed were on hardwood 
land. 
It reproduces itself well as a rule, and in some places, notably on 
Spruce flats, young growth is very abundant after windfalls. 
The rate of growth in diameter, for 21 trees averaging 11 inches in 
diameter, was 1 inch in 17 years. 
ENEMIES OF THE FOREST. 
WIND. 
The damage done by wind in the Adirondacks is very great. Where- 
ever a second-growth forest of pure Spruce, Soft Maple, or Birch is 
found a careful examination reveals traces of windfall or fire. The 
Spruce is especially subject to windfall on account of its shallow root 
system and its long, slender stem, which give a strong leverage to 
the wind. The prevailing wind is from the southwest, and the slopes 
facing this direction are most exposed to heavy storms. These slopes 
are, aS a rule, steep, and the soil is thin and stony; and the Spruce 
which grows upon them is in consequence unable to obtain a firm foot- 
hold. It is here that the most frequent windfalls are found, and the 
Spruce is often comparatively young, because the trees are blown down 
before they reach maturity. (See Pl. IIL.) 
_ The danger from windfall is considerable, also, on Spruce flats and 
Swamps where the ground is moist and the soil thin. On rolling flats 
it is common to find extensive areas where the conifers have been blown 
down and their place has been taken by Soft Maple and Birch. Fre- 
quently, however, the entire tract is swept clear, and either pure Spruce 
or a mixture of conifers and hardwoods follow as the second growth. 
The soil in these sections is usually meager and often underlaid with an 
impermeable subsoil. On the knolls and ridges rising out of swamps 
the trees are chiefly coniferous and are frequently blown over by the 
storms. On the hardwood lands, on the other hand, where the soil is 
comparatively deep and there is a large admixture of hardwoods, the 
danger is small. | 
Hemlock is about as easily overturned by storms as Spruce, but it 
usually occurs in mixture, and is therefore protected by other species. 
White Pine is comparatively wind firm. The tall shafts tower many 
feet above the rest of the forest and are exposed to winds from‘all 
directions, but they are uprooted only by the heaviest storms. Of the 
hardwoods, Birch is most easily overturned. 
The wind injures the forest not only by uprooting trees but by actu- 
ally breaking or splitting the stems. Hollow Spruces are frequently 
snapped off at the butt and trees weakened with cancer or other dis- 
eases are often broken at the affected spot. Balsam is very susceptible 
to breakage by the wind on account of its brittle wood. Rotten trees 
