124 NATURAL REGENERATION. 
The general position in Europe is that the expense of artificial re- 
generation is only incurred when natural regeneration fails. But there 
are exceptions: thus, Oak is often sown ; Scotch-pine, as above, is usually 
planted; but in Spain, in New Zealand latitudes (in the Royal Forest 
of La Granja). the natural regeneration of Scotch-pine 1s good. If 
Scotch-pine is ever going to grow in New Zealand this is where the seed 
should come from. 
South Africa.—tIn the ordinary dense evergreen forest of South Africa, 
often called (after the chief species) ‘‘ Yellow-wood forest,’’ and which 
so closely resembles the ‘‘ mixed ’’ forest of New Zealand, I have seen 
areas that in twenty years had grown up from a hopeless-looking tangle 
of bots blancs, of bramble, and of fern to an area where there was a 
larger proportion of good timber-trees than in the primitive forest. On 
the other hand, I have seen ‘‘ sections ’’ of forest where natural regenera. 
tion had failed, and the area was no better or worse than the large 
mountain areas in New Zealand where grassing has failed, or not lasted, 
and the area run to scrub and become worthless. Such a result is, of 
course, deplorable economically. Generally speaking, the forester is in 
a much better position to prevent it than the farmer. In forest that it 
will pay to work intensively it should never occur. In forest capable 
of a net return of £10 per acre per year, such as Kauri, there is not 
the smallest excuse for it. 
Mr. T. R. Sim, one of the most capable foresters the South African 
Forest Service has produced, has the following instructive note on natural 
regeneration in forests worked on the system introduced by the French 
forester Count de Vasselot in 1884—forests of exactly the same type, 
and in the same climate, as the Kauri forest of New Zealand. (Measures 
are now being taken to introduce the Kauri tree to them.) 
Most of the valuable trees are shade-bearers when young, but very few of 
them can stand heavy dense canopy; consequently virgin forest possesses almost 
no regrowth, while the more open a worked “section” is the better usually is the 
regrowth, especially of Yellow-wood. 
- . . All over-aged and decaying trees, as well as all thoroughly mature 
trees (t.¢., such as will not improve during the next forty years) are removed when 
a “ section” is worked, except where large gaps are caused by so doing, Old or 
worthless trees that will not sell should be dealt with departmentally. Probably 
the revenue from this extra work would not cover the cost of doing it; but, even 
though it does not, investment in this direction is to be commended as much as 
mvestment in plantations, when it is kept in mind that the indigenous kinds are 
not easily raised in plantations. but that they reproduce themselves naturally 
under such treatment if given a fair chance, and that for many purposes they are 
to be preferred to the more easily raised exotics. The regrowth under a very 
open felling all comes together as even-aged material. . . , . 
It has already been pointed out that indigenous trees do not readily 
spread on to new ground, and certain reasons have been adduced for that: but 
these do not hold with regard to the recovery of a cleared area, which, so long as 
it possesses its original stock of seeds and seedlings, recovers entirely, though 
rather slowly, if fire and trespass are prevented. Many beautiful examples of this 
are to be seen at the Perie Forest and elsewhere, in which forests, at that time appa- 
rently completely exhausted and wrecked, were closed by the Forest Department 
about twelve or fourteen years ago, and are now full of an abundant healthy and 
vigorous incombustible regrowth, much more important and valuable than the 
whole stock of over-aged and damaged trees without regrowth standing in other 
areas, apparently sound to the superficial observer, though actually in the last 
stage of decadence. (‘Cape Forest Flora.’’) 
A correspondent has asked if the large returns of planting from South 
Africa do not indicate that the native bush is regenerated by replanting. 
This Is not so, It is safe to say that the trees planted in the native 
bush in South Africa do not form above 1 or 2 per cent. of the voung 
