WOODLAND AND COVERT 153 



trees from 20 to 80 years old, at which 

 latter age all the hardwoods — except per- 

 haps the oak, which may require the full 

 century to mature — have reached their 

 growth, and are ripe for the woodman's 

 axe. 



It will easily be realized that this 

 system ensures a regular — if limited — 

 supply of good quality timber and at the 

 same time the maintenance of practically 

 the full stock of pheasants that the woods 

 are capable of supporting under any 

 conditions. 



Where the adoption of any such system 

 is impracticable, the only alternative would 

 seem to be a division of each wood of any 

 size — and to grow timber of any value a 

 block of some extent must always be 

 necessary — into two distinct portions : the 

 central block to be a solid mass of timber 

 trees grown under forest conditions, while 

 a wide margin is wholly given over to the 

 interests of game, and planted with mixed 

 trees of rapid but restricted growth, shrubs 

 and fruiting plants. In this case the 



