1886.] VALUE OF UNDERWOOD. 755 



exception, and for one fagot now consumed in leaking bread, at least 

 1000 were previously used for this purpose. 



All these causes combined have very seriously reduced the value 

 of our underwoods, but there is still another cause wliich has been 

 more powerful than all these put together, and that has been neglect 

 or bad management. The underwood is often cut in the most 

 slovenly manner. Instead of the stems being cut clean from the 

 stub they are hacked and split in the most unworkmanlike manner. 

 The produce is removed by carting through the stubs instead of 

 Ijeing carried off and placed by the sides of roads. The open 

 ditches for carrying off surface water are neglected, and the " blanks," 

 which are often very numerous and very large, are neither filled up 

 with young plants nor with splashers. Ten years ago, alder under- 

 wood of nine years' growth was sold in Hants for £21 per acre, the 

 purchaser paying all expenses of cutter, converting, etc. The same 

 piece of underwood sold last year for £19 per acre, and the pur- 

 chaser, who is one of the largest rake manufacturers in the south, 

 lost £2, 15s. per acre upon the purchase. Ten years ago hazel 

 underwood of ten years' growth, suitable for making hurdles and 

 sheep cages, sold for £9 per acre. This year the same description 

 of underwood will not realize more than £6, 10s. Ten years ago, 

 mixed wood, principally under large timber trees, fit only for bakers' 

 ovens, was sold for £4, 15s. per acre. This year the same descrip- 

 tion of wood will probably realize £3, 5s. In consequence of the 

 general depreciation of all descriptions of underwood, this crop has 

 been still further reduced in \'alue by careless management. In 

 Xorth Hants a piece of asli and chestnut underwood was sold eight 

 years ago for £23 per acre for eight years' growth. The young 

 shoots were afterwards so severely gnawed by rabbits each succeed- 

 ing winter, that tlie crop is almost entirely destroyed. An alder 

 gully upon the same estate was sold for £19 per acre for nine years' 

 growth. This gully should be sold again this year, but the wood is 

 not large enough for either rake or brush ware, and it will have to 

 stand two more years before it is worth £8 per acre. 



In Surrey and Sussex alder underwood has to be almost exclu- 

 sively used for powder-making. For this purpose a full crop of 

 seven years' growth will realize about £9 per acre after deducting 

 expenses. The demand, however, for alder has now ceased, and our 

 best powder-makers prefer dogwood and willow. Large quantities 

 of dogwood are sent from Norway and Sweden for this purpose. In 

 our gullies willow is being substituted for alder, which will certainly 

 be a more remunerative crop for damp, low-lying situations. It will 

 be ready to cut at least two years sooner than alder, and will pro- 

 duce a heavier weiglit of charcoal wood per acre in the shorter time. 



