454 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



purpose, or a saw when a stroke from a knife would do all that 

 is required. 



Mention of these things may seem trivial, but we must remem- 

 ber that they all mean money. The more efficiently a man is 

 equipped with suitable tools — if he knows how to use them — 

 the more work can he accomplish in a given time, and that with 

 the greater ease to himself. Not only should men be taught 

 how to handle tools, hut what is equally important, each man 

 should be able to sharpen and keep them in the best possible 

 condition. A keen edge goes a long way to help forward the 

 work. Where much felling is done on an estate, it is desirable 

 to have a light grinding-stone, which can be conveniently carried 

 about to the different woods where the men are at work. This 

 saves time, and renders it unnecessary to go to the toolhouse or 

 some other centre whenever an axe gets damaged. Another good 

 plan is to have a few spare axes and saws always kept in readiness 

 to replace blunt ones ; in this case all grinding and sharpening 

 would be best done by a man and a boy specially told off for the 

 purpose — which they could accomplish in a short time once a day 

 — the men engaged in the actual cutting being saved loss of time 

 and anxiety in connection with their tools. 



Pruning. 



There is perhaps a greater variety of tools in the market for 

 pruning than for any other part of a forester's work. On most 

 estates, where the invariable practice has been to mix many 

 species of trees in a plantation, pruning — or, more correctly, 

 relieving one species of tree from the overlapping and dominating 

 influence of its neighbour — is too often unavoidable. I say too 

 often advisedly ; for, as a forester, I hold that this operation 

 should not cost a tenth part of the money it commonly does now. 

 If more attention were paid to density and to grouping, instead 

 of mixing the various species, pruning would form a very light 

 charge against our woods. Pruning, correctly so called, should 

 take place before the plants leave the nursery, unless in the case 

 of cutting away contending leaders or exceptionally strong side 

 branches subsequently developed. Unfortunately, however, as 

 matters stand at present, a great deal of time and money is 

 necessarily spent in relieving one species from the more vigor- 

 ous growth of its neighbour, and it is in this operation that 



