STATE AND OTHER FORESTS OF FRANCE. 95 



hammer bearing the Government mark. These two men also 

 measure the diameters of the trees, and calculate the volume by 

 means of " form-factors " obtained from past fellings. 



The objects of the two marks are : the upper mark shows 

 the merchant the trees to be felled, and the lower mark must 

 be left after felling, in order that the Government may be 

 satisfied that none other than authorised trees have been felled. 

 The trees are sold standing, and are valued by the inspector. 

 To this valuation a certain percentage is added, giving an excess 

 price which no purchaser would pay. 



The trees in all the lots in the forest are sold as they stand in 

 September, by " Dutch auction," the auctioneer gradually crying 

 down the value of the lot until a merchant sa.y sjeprends (I take). 



The thinnings in the younger woods are generally sold to the 

 highest bidder by a method called par unite, in which the 

 bidding is at so much per cubic metre above the valuation, the 

 lot going to the highest bidder. The reason for this method of 

 sale is because the volume of wood in the thinnings is not known 

 beforehand, trees being marked during the progress of the thin- 

 ning. The merchant is allowed eighteen months for the cutting 

 and clearing away of the fellings, and twelve months only for 

 the thinnings. 



In a seeding felling, about a quarter of the volume of standing 

 wood is felled, or about one-third of the number of trees. All 

 the oaks are allowed to remain, unless dead or dying. The 

 hornbeam is cut out, wherever this is possible, in preference to 

 the beech, but at the same time the mother-trees should be 

 uniformly distributed over the area. In the woods there are 

 reminiscences of the Tir et Aire system, in the form of huge old 

 beech standards. These are cut down in this felling, since they 

 are probably too old to bear seed. In such cases a large blank 

 is left, and consequently all surrounding trees must be preserved. 

 Any advance growth or underwood of beech and hornbeam 

 present at the seeding felling is also cut out. The felling is 

 usually made when there is every prospect of a good seed-year. 

 A heavy triangular harrow is used to tear up the ground and 

 prepare it for the seed. It weighs 6 cwts., and is dragged by 

 four horses. Three or four acres are harrowed in a day, and 

 the brambles and other weeds are torn up, so that the seed 

 gets well into the ground. This costs 8s. 4d. per diem. 



During the next twelve to fifteen years of the period of 



