146 FOREST WORK FOR THE MONTH. [June 



is no risk of cutting thin roots, it can be practised with great 

 advantage ; and it will be found that pointing or surface digging 

 pays well, as thereby the weeds are much longer in coming up 

 again than they are after hoeing; therefore, though the pointing 

 costs more per acre, yet, in a season's cleaning, it costs considerably 

 less the one way than tlie other. 



All fancy and rustic pieces for seats, porches, bridges, and other 

 ornamental works of the kind, should be selected, peeled, and care- 

 fully dried and seasoned. This is very difficult to do in rainy or 

 moist weather, in consequence of the tendency of the wind to con- 

 tract mould or mildew, which, although it may be rubbed off by 

 means of a cloth and fine sand, or other more elaborate and expen- 

 sive means, yet all such rubbing, apart from the trouble and 

 expense, tends to break the fibre and spoil the beautiful natural 

 surface of the wood. Preparing the wood and making charcoal is a 

 work of no small importance or magnitude on many estates, and 

 should not be delayed till too late in the season. As the charring 

 requires constant attention day and night, during the whole process 

 of burning it is better to do the work while the nights are short 

 and the days long. Grass roads, as they are termed, should be 

 levelled and smoothed, grass seeds sown when required, and the 

 surface thoroughly rolled. The prospects of cones, beech, mast, 

 acorns, and seeds in general should be noted, and insects and 

 squirrels looked after and destroyed as far as practicable. 



C. Y. MiCHIE. 

 CuLLEN House, Banffshiee, May 15th, 1885. 



[In Mr. Michie's report for last month read hatched instead of 



hitched.'] 



WALES. 



OAK-BAEK stripping is now pretty well completed in this neigh- 

 bourhood ; but the season cannot be called a favourable one 

 for peeling operations. With a continuance of cold winds, and 

 frost during the nights, the bark has not run well. On the other 

 hand, the season has been everything that could be desired for 

 drying and harvesting the bark. Where the bark has been sold, it 

 may be delivered direct from the ranges, otherwise it will have to 

 be put into stacks or sheds, and made safe against unfavourable 

 weather. With the removal of the bark, the oak timber should be 

 dressed and removed from the plantations at the earliest convenience. 

 By removing the timber at once, it will not interfere with any 

 young shoots that may be thrown up from the stools. The branches 

 should also be covered or removed at once. 



Hardwood trees may be pruned towards the end of the month. 



