1234 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 12 
conditions. The actual area of each group of sections representing a certain 
method of treatment is 0.202 acre. 
The total number of seedlings of the coniferous species present at each of the 
last 5 counts, on the basis of one acre, was as follows: 
Clear-cut 
Control 
Shelterwood 
Selection 
1919_ 
1,287 
9,009 
4,035 
3,352 
1920. 
579 
2,192 
4,633 
3,980 
1921_ 
1,083 
3,826 
7,028 
6,465 
1922._ 
1,2(57 
2,901 
10,316 
8,530 
1923_ 
1,509 
3,821 
13,427 
9,707 
It will be seen that since 1919 the selection and shelterwood areas have tripled 
the amount of reproduction, and that the clear-cut area is building up slowly, 
while the area under the original forest is showing no net increase. The extremely 
large number of seedlings present upon the control plot in 1919 was due to an 
exceptionally heavy crop of 1918 Engelmann spruce seedlings. Because of the 
presence of spruce seed trees upon the control plot this species is always well 
represented in the new crop of seedlings, considerably more so than on any other 
plot. In 1923, 42 per cent of the new control crop was spruce, while on the 
shelterwood and selection plots this species was present only to the extent of 6 
and 2 per cent, respectively, and no new spruce seedlings at all were found upon 
the clear-cut area. 
In each count the seedlings were tallied as new, 1 year old, 2 years old, and 3 
years and older. The last class is considered established and is referred to as the 
“surviving” class. From a study of conditions on plot No. 3 in 1919, only ap¬ 
proximately 6 per cent of the fir seedlings live after the first year. One-half of 
these die during the following three years, and more than likely most of them 
during the second year. The mortality rate after the third year is low. 
SURVIVAL OF SEEDLINGS 
Although it is always desirable to secure copious reproduction, the criterion of 
success for any system is the amount of survival, and it is in this respect that the 
virgin stand falls down. Fifty-nine per cent of all the reproduction present in 
1923 on the control plot was represented by 1923 seedlings, of which the expecta¬ 
tion of survival is very low. Under the shelterwood cutting all but 6 per cent of 
the trees were at least one year old, as was the case also on the clear-cut area, 
while in the selection forest only 1 per cent were new seedlings. 
The following summary gives the number of established, or three-vear-old, 
seedlings per acre for each system: 
! 
; 
Clear-cut 
: 
Control 
Shelterwood 
Selection 
1919. 
287 
238 
811 
480 
1920. 
213 
233 
1,127 
550 
1921. 
881 
2,271 
5,094 
3,985 
1922.. 
900 
1,430 
6,436 
4,592 
1923. 
1,005 
1,237 
6,891 
4,638 
Again, as in the case of total germination, there is a perceptible yearly increase 
on the cut-over plots. The big increase in 1921 is due to the 1918 Douglas fir 
seedling crop passing into the survival class. Under the virgin forest, the 3-year- 
old class is gradually decreasing, indicating that the seedlings are unable, even 
