WOODS OF THE NOVAR ESTATE. 47 



course, of great importance to thus guard those sides from which 

 danger is most to be feared. 



When carrying out the fellings, it will be desirable, in view of the 

 irregular constitution of the crops in many of the woods, to have 

 regard, in such woods, rather to the number of trees the cutting of 

 which is prescribed in the Table, than to the extent of the area from 

 which the removal of the crop is prescribed. Should, unfortunately, 

 any considerable number of trees be blown down on ground not 

 included in the felling-area of the year; or should fellings, not pro- 

 vided for by the Plan, have been made in consequence of the 

 occurrence of fire, or to take advantage of a seed-year or otherwise ; 

 a corresponding reduction in the number of cubic feet removed from 

 the felling-area of the year should be made, in order to adjust the 

 yield account. 



Save in very exceptional places, the practice of leaving a few old 

 trees or groups of trees standing for ornament should be discon- 

 tinued. Such trees make no useful growth, and therefore occupy the 

 ground unprofitably ; they are usually, sooner or later, blown down, 

 and either lost or brought in at unnecessary cost ; while, when the 

 new crop has once been established, they are likely to injure it by 

 their shade while they stand, and to crush and break the young 

 plants when they fall or are cut down. Such trees are now standing 

 in Bullockeshan, Broom Hill and other woods, to the detriment 

 of the young crops, and they should be carefully removed as soon as 

 possible, the crowns being reduced before they are felled. Work of 

 this kind is expensive and should be avoided. The tops and 

 branches left after each annual felling should, be removed or burnt 

 without delay; they should on no account be allowed to remain 

 long on the ground. 



There will be no final fellings in the younger woods during the 

 period provided for by the present Plan. 



Much of the ground on which the woods stand is favourable to 

 the use of wet or dry timber-slides, tramways and other labour- 

 saving and expense-saving appliances, which, when the crops of 

 the fully-stocked younger woods come under the axe, will almost 

 certainly be employed for conveying timber from them to the 

 estate depot or to the railway line. But although the present 

 cost of bringing in timber from the more remote woods and from 

 the higher elevations is excessive, extensive engineering works for 

 moving timber from the older woods would not now be justified, 

 on account of their scattered situation and liy;ht stock. It must 



