THINNINGS. 109 



thoroughly done, not only round each oak, but over the whole 

 area. The beech will start afresh quite sufficiently. Ten years 

 ago, M. Viney did this in coupe No. 5 or 6 of the forest of 

 Citeaux, on the left as you enter by the road leading from 

 Chocelle to St Nicolas. The result to be aimed at is the pre- 

 servation of oak everywhere, with beech below it, even from the 

 sapling stage. 



The little oak poles soon begin to appear as such, the beech 

 springs up between, and it is soon time for the first thinning, 

 which will remove principally beeches round the oaks. This time 

 they are cut down to the ground, and the oaks will spread and 

 complete the canopy. The beech will undoubtedly remain in the 

 coupe. The succeeding thinnings will boldly attack the biggest 

 beeches, because they are the most dangerous, and in this way 

 the oaks will be kept floui'ishing. Further, any beeches actually 

 beloio the oaks, but reaching up into their chief boughs, can be 

 cut back. In a coppice with standards the oaks are readily pre- 

 served and fostered in the struggle with beech, but this is done 

 only by isolating them about every twenty-five years. In high 

 forest we can do better by means of repeated and fearless thinnings. 



The pedunculate oak, mixed with beech in certain forests, such 

 as Mormal (Nord), is generally found in moist places associated 

 with most of the local broad-leaved species, softwoods, ash, elm, 

 hornbeam, etc. It may attain colossal dimensions, but too often 

 it is only found scattered here and there. It is, therefore, neces- 

 sary to secure its regeneration, if not abundantly, at any rate 

 generally. To this end successive regeneration fellings are made, 

 and at the same time the seedlings of shade-giving species among 

 the oaks are cut back. It is a certain way of building up a 

 forest. The following note, taken from M. Clement de Grand- 

 prey, a former Inspector-General of Forests, relates facts which 

 illustrate this admirably : — 



"The forests on the immediate banks of the Rhine grow on 

 stony, sandy, or fertile mud alluviums. In the first case, Scots 

 pine springs up naturally ; in the second, a forest of every 

 possible species. The pedunculate oak does exceedingly well, 

 and even in some cases forms a splendid crop all to itself, 

 notably in the State forest of Drusenheim, the Communal forest 

 of the same name, and 200 acres of the Canton Steinwald, in the 

 Commune of Gambsheim. Below the oaks is an impenetrable 

 thicket of all sorts of species. How could such a crop arise 1 



