July, 191.S 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



lorcst at a distance. In many iii- 

 stanoi'S the lU-mand for water con- 

 trols distribution altojjctner. For 

 this reason tlie lon^sts on the oi'- 

 posilc sides of nunintaiu ranjjes arc 

 often coini^osed of entireU- difCerenf 

 trees. On the west slope of the 

 Sierra Nevada of California,, for ex- 

 ample, where there is plenty of 

 moisture, there is also one of the 

 most beautiful of all forests. The 

 east -slope, on the contrary, has 

 comparativelv few trees, because 

 its rainfall is very slight, and 

 those which do grow there are 

 small and stunted in comparison 

 with the giants on the west. 

 Again, certain trees are commonly 

 found only in very moist land; 

 others, only on the driest soils ; 

 while still others seem to adapt 

 themselves to almost any degree 

 of moisture, and are found on both 

 very wet and very dry soils. In 

 this way the different demands for 

 moisture often separate the kinds 

 of trees which grow in the bottom 

 of a valley from those along its 

 slopes, or even those in the gullies 

 of hillsides from those on the roll- 

 ing land between. A moimd not 

 more than a foot above the level 

 of a swamp is often covered with 

 trees entirely different from those 

 of the wetter lower land about it. 



Such matters as these have far 

 more to do with th* places m 

 which different trees grow than 

 the chemical composition of the 

 soil. But its mechanical nature — 

 thati is, whether it is stiff or loose, 

 fine or coarse in grain, deep or 

 shallow — IS very important, be- 

 cause it is directly connected with 

 heat and moisture and the life of 

 the roots in the soil. 



— Requirements of Trees for 



Light. - 

 The relations of trees to heat 

 and moisture are thus largely re- 

 si)on.sil)lc for their distribution 

 upon the great divisions of the 

 earth's surface, such as continents 

 and mountain ranges, as well as 

 over the smaller rises and depres- 

 sions of every region where trees 

 grow. But while heat and mois- 

 ture decide where ' the different 

 kinds of trees cim grow, their in- 

 fluence has comparatively little to 

 do with the struggles of individuals 

 or s]>ecies against each other for 

 the actual possession of the 

 ground. The outcome of fhese 

 struggles dei)ends less on heat 

 and moisture than on the posses- 

 sion of certain qualities, among 

 which is the ability to bear shade. 

 Tolerant trees are those which 

 flouri.sh under more or less heavy 

 shade in early youth ; intolerant 

 trees are those which demand a 

 comparatively slight cover, or 

 even unrestricted li<''ht. Ivater in 

 life all trees require much more 

 light than at first, and usually 

 those of both classes can liv^e to 

 old age only when they are alto- 

 g^ether unshaded from above. But 

 there is always this difference be- 

 tween them : the leaves of tolerant 

 trees will bear more shade. Conse- 

 quently the leaves on the lower 

 and inner parts of the crowTi are 

 m.ore vigorous, plentiful, and per- 

 sistent than is the case with in- 

 tolerent trees. Thus the crown of 

 a tolerant tree in the forest is 

 usually denser and larger .than 

 that of one which bears less shade. 

 It is usually true that the seed- 

 lings of trees with dense orowns 

 are able "to flourish under cover, 

 while those of light-crowned trees 



are intolerant. This rough general 

 rule is often of use in (he study of 

 forests in a new country, or of 

 trees whose silvicultiir.il character 

 is not known. 



— Tolerance and Intolerance. — 

 The tolerance or intolerance of 

 trees is one of their most import- 

 ant silvicultural characters. Fre- 

 quently it is the first tiring a for- 

 ester .seeks to learn about them, 

 because what he can safely under- 

 take in the woods depends so 

 largely upon it. Thus tolerant 

 trees will olten grow vigorously 

 under the shade of iTrht-crowned 

 trees above them, while if the po- 

 sitions were reversed the latter 

 would speedily die. The propor- 

 tion of different kinds of trees in a 

 forest often depends on their toler- 

 ance. 



The relation of a tree to light 

 changes not only with its age, 

 but also with the place where it 

 is growing, and with its health. 

 An intolerant tree will stand more 

 cover where the light is intense 

 than in a cloudy northern region, 

 and more if it has plenty of wiater 

 than with a scanty supply. Vigor- 

 ous seedlings wilT get along with 

 less light than sickly ones. Seed- 

 lings of' the same species will pros-, 

 per imder heavier shade if they 

 have always grown imder cover 

 than if they have had plenty of 

 light at first and have been de- 

 prived of if afterwards. 



— The Rate of Growth. — 



The rate of growth of different 

 trees often decides which one will 

 surWve in the forest. For example, 

 if two intolerant kinds of trees 

 should start together on a burned 

 area of an old field, that one which 

 grows faster in heinfht will over- 

 top the other and destrov it in 

 the end by cuttintr off the lio-ht. 



The place where a tree stands 

 has a great influence on its rate of 

 growth. Thus the trees on a hill- 

 side are often much smaller than 

 those of equal age in the rich hol- 

 low below, and tho.se on the upper 

 slopes of a high mountain are 

 commonly starv'ed and stunted in 

 comparison with the vigorous for- 

 est lower down. The Western 

 Chinquapin, which reachs a height 

 of ISO feet in the coast valleys of 

 northern California, is a mere 

 shrub at hi£fh elevations in the 

 Sierra "NTevada. The same thing is 

 often observed in passing from' 

 the more temnerate regions to the 

 far north. Thus the Canoe Birch, 

 at its northern limit, rises only a 

 few inches above ground. Farther 

 south it becomes a tree sometimes 

 1 20 feet in height. 



(To Continued.) 



BAGOT, SHAKES, & LEWIS, Ltd. 



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 and Licensed Land Brokers. 



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 any part of the State. 



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