On Pninins: and Thinnin_[^ Forest Trees 



485 



and state that they had come to the concki- 

 sion to put an end to it, as operating "most 

 injuriously to the interests of the Royal 

 Forests." They reported that timber, "which, 

 in 1852, Mr Brown recommended should be 

 grubbed up and replanted, on the ground that 

 the trees then standing could never become 

 good navy timber," had supplied as much 

 as 92 per cent, of timber to the navy in- 

 stead of only 31 in 1852 out of the fall, 

 and had been pronounced to be of first-rate 

 (juality. 



With regard to points on which they had 

 any doubt, the Commissioners referred the 

 subject to skilled persons for their opinion ; 

 and it is from one of the Reports so obtained 

 that Ave have procured the information regard- 

 ing the advantages and disadvantages of 

 pnming which we noAv propose to submit to 

 the reader. In the Report of 1856 the 

 Commissioners state (p. 87) — " As the ques- 

 tion with regard to pnming oak trees is one 

 upon which differences of opinion exist, and 

 as the system of pruning dead branches had 

 been recommended to Mr Kennedy by Mr 

 Brown, but was subsequently reported against 

 by the three surveyors (Mr Matthews, Mr 

 Murton, and Mr Menzies) employed by direc- 

 tion of the Lords of the Treasur}^ to inquire 

 into the state of the management of the New 

 Forest, in their Report of the ist August 1854, 

 and as pruning of any kind was directly 

 opposed to the system which had always been 

 pifrsued in the management of the Royal 

 Forests, Mr Gore considered it expedient to 

 obtain the best opinions upon the subject, 

 and he thought that the quarter from which 

 he could derive the soundest information 

 would be from the timber merchants and 

 others who had acquired the greatest practical 

 experience in the purchase and conversion of 

 oak timber in the oak-growing districts of 

 England. Mr Clutton was requested to 

 make inquiries from such persons, and a form 

 of questions was drawn up and submitted to 

 them. The questions and the answers re- 

 ceived, to the number of twenty-nine, will be 

 found in Appendices Nos. 2 and 3, and a Re- 

 jiort from Mr Clutton dated i8th April 1855, 

 whose attention had been directed to this sub- 



ject by a letter addressed to him by Mr Gore ; 

 and it will be seen that the result of the in- 

 quiry confirms the opinion of the referees, 

 thai no branch, either sound or decayed, should 

 be removed from an oak tree on any pretence 

 whatet'er." 



We shall first notice Mr Glutton's Report, 

 which is a model of clearness and sound sense. 

 Mr Clutton has been for a long time Surveyor 

 of the Royal Woods and Forests in England, 

 an office which combines the duties of the 

 Scotch factor or commissioner with those of 

 the surveyor. From having filled this office 

 for so long, there are few men who have a 

 greater knowledge of the management and 

 growth of all kinds of timber, but more espe- 

 cially of oak ; and it is unnecessary to say 

 that we attach the greatest weight to any 

 opinion that he may have expressed on the 

 subject. 



After alluding to a previous Report, in. 

 which he had stated generally that no bough, 

 whether dead or alive, should be cut from an 

 oak tree, he proceeds to discuss the question 

 in various phases. He says (Report, p. 3) — ■ 

 " The manner in which oaks are affected by 

 dead boughs may be considered under three 

 heads, viz. :— 



" I. On young trees under forty years of 

 age. 



" 2. On growing trees having acquired a 

 size to be called timber. 



" On large or matured timber oaks. 



" For the removal of these branches no 

 mechanical means are necessary, nor should 

 any be resorted to under any circumstances. 

 The sap-wood, as it is formed, gradually 

 tightens round the base of the dying bough 

 until the branch is quite rotten, and drops off 

 when the sap-wood extends its growth over the 

 place ; and so perfect is the process by which 

 the dead bough thus leaves the parent stem 

 that no appearance, either externally or in- 

 ternally, remains of a bough ever having grown 

 upon the bole of the tree ; but if the dead, 

 branches are removed by cutting, their base 

 becomes rapidly covered with sap-wood, and 

 the tree will be permanently defective. 



" I have thought it necessary to be explicit 

 as regards the result of natural decay in 



