338 FOREST WORK FOR THE MONTH. [Sept. 



All charcoal not yet made should he coaled at once, before the 

 nights become long and dark, and therefore unpleasant for night 

 work. 



When rabbits are numerous, exposed trees should be carefully 

 looked to, for as soon as the herbage becomes bare, they bark the 

 trees readily, doing great injury often before such a thing is 

 suspected. 



Thinning and pruning may now be conducted with general 

 freedom. Now is the time for cutting and cleaning vines, pruning 

 off spray and lateral branches from the stems and trunks of 

 attractive as well as interesting trees, so as to show them 

 to full advantage, removing from them all broken and withered 

 branches that appear from the drives, roads, and walks. 



Hollies, whether as shrubs, hedges, or trees, should now be 

 removed. This is decidedly the best month in the year for trans- 

 planting holly, and probably also all evergreens. They seldom 

 die if carefully planted now" ; whereas if planted at other seasons, 

 they almost as rarely live, or at least grow well. 



Nursery work, which consists principally in cleaning, should still 

 be carried on. Cuttings of bay laurel should now be planted, and in 

 doing so, they should be made of the strongest of the young shoots, 

 cut so that a small portion of last year's wood is attached. None of 

 the leaves should be pruned off. This is no less a common than bad 

 practice. The cuttings about 9 inches long should be inserted about 

 two-thirds their length into the ground, and the earth, which should 

 be a sandy loam, tramped firmly to them with the foot. 



Squirrels, which in many districts of Scotland are the foresters' 

 greatest enemy, should be looked after, and shot wherever found. 



Fences adjoining pasture fields should now be well looked to, as 

 additional strain will be put upon them as the pastures become bare. 



Seeds and fruits of their respective kinds should be gathered as 

 they ripen, which some (though few) do towards the end of the 

 month. C. Y. Michie. 



CuLLEN House, \1th August 1885. 



WALES. 



CONTINUE the cleaning and switching of hedges, and attend to 

 fencing of all sorts. Where it is intended to plant young 

 hedges, the ground should be thoroughly prepared to receive the 

 young plants, by trencliing, levelling, and draining where necessary. 



