1885.] THE WINB AND THE WOODS. 371 



The old trees being cut down in the natural course after ten, twenty, 

 or thirty years, the wind would Ije allowed to play freely on young- 

 wood still pliable and elastic, and capable of adapting itself 

 excellently well to the altered circumstances. Thus we may con- 

 clude that in the case of two contiguous woods, au abrupt difference 

 in age and height is of no disadvantage, that is to say, so long as 

 the windward wood can be removed while the other is still young 

 and pliable. 



Suppose, however, we have a mature wood of eighty or ninety- 

 years of age to windward, and au immature wood of sixty to seventy 

 years to leeward ? It will naturally be wished in the ordinary 

 course to cut down and utilize the windward wood first. But what 

 would be the consequence ? As the wind would be let in on wood 

 which could no longer in any degree bend and recover, aud which, 

 owing to its having grown up during its whole life in the shelter, 

 would not be firmly rooted, disastrous windfall and havoc would 

 probably ensue. Thus, where there is a difference of only twenty 

 years between two contiguous woods or plantations, the younger 

 one ought to be to windward. Then the removal of the older wood 

 when mature will not expose the younger, nor cause windfall. 



In the case of one large mass of wood of one age, where the 

 felling has to be spread over several years, the felling must be 

 commenced from the leeward, that is, generally from the most 

 easterly margin. If, on the contrary, felling were to be begun from 

 the windward, then the windfast trees would be the first to be laid 

 low, and the whole wood might afterwards be an easy prey to the 

 wind. But by commencing on the leeward with a clearing across 

 the direction of prevalent storms, following up with similar narrow 

 clearings from the same side in successive years, the windproof trees 

 would be taken last of all when theiJKshelter was no longer required. 

 Thus in a mass of timber nearly of an age, a procession of successive 

 yearly hewiugs should progress consecutively from leeward to wind- 

 ward. 



Evidently if the next windward compartment were occupied by 

 timber just a few years — say ten to twenty years — younger, then 

 the fellings might still progress consecutively to windward with the 

 greatest safety from, windfall. And if still farther to windward 

 another compartment were occupied by still younger wood, with 

 a similar difference in age, then the fellings might proceed through 

 it also continuously in the desired direction. And so on, so long 

 as there existed a regular diminution in ages towards the Avindy 

 quarter. Thus, if we have a sequence of ages of timber diminishing 

 gradually to windward, consecutive fellings from the leeward may 

 traverse the whole of them with comparative safety from windfall. 



