THE MANAGEMENT OF PLANTATIONS. 



48 



both the vegetable and animal kingdom. One of the most pro- 

 minent of these is known as the "survival of the fittest." 

 Before it comes into play, however, the struggle for existence, 

 which is terminated by it, must proceed, and it is in this struggle 

 that all weak and sickly individuals perish, and none but the 

 strong and healthy survive. Now a young tree, or any other 

 plant or animal which is surrounded by every condition essen- 

 tial to health and growth, is not affected by this law until the 

 proximity of another individual threatens to rob it of one or more 

 of these essentials. This it may do by depriving it of what it 

 already possesses, or by appropriating to itself the whole of an 

 element which is required by both. A young tree, therefore, 

 which is planted, say, four feet distant from its neighbour is not 

 interrupted by the latter until eight or ten years after planting, 

 according to soil and climate, and the size of the tree when 

 planted. By this time it will be fairly well clothed with 

 branches, and when it is obliged to contend with its nearest 

 neighbour for space, will be able to inflict great injury upon the 

 latter before it finally succumbs, or is correspondingly injured 

 should it prove the stronger. In other words, the struggle for 

 existence becomes more severe and protracted the longer it is 

 delayed and the older the plants which enter into it. This not 

 only tends to weaken the survivors, but the size to which the 

 branches have attained before being suppressed causes the 

 timber of the lower part of the stem to be knotty and coarse. 

 This at least is the result where the plantation has been left 

 alone after planting, but where, as naturally happens, artificial 

 thinning intervenes, the vitality of the tree is prevented from being 

 weakened by overcrowding, but the rough and knotty character 

 of the timber is increased. In either case, therefore, objections 

 may be made to the methods employed, and we must seek one 

 which obviates overcrowding on the one hand and prevents rough 

 timber on the other. Suppose, then, we are planting a piece 

 of old pasture or arable land which allows us to work a plough 

 with comparative ease. The first thing we should do would 

 be to turn back shallow double-furrow slices across the ground, 

 leaving a distance of two to three feet between them. This 

 will leave bare strips for the reception of the seed or plants, 

 and the work may be done with an ordinary moulding-plough, 

 or with a forest-plough specially designed for the purpose. 



