112 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



(a) Coppice. — In the State forest no plants to be treated as 

 coppice are planted, whilst in the private forest underwood is 

 planted where necessary. For instance, last year 1200 coppice 

 plants were planted in one felling area of 125 acres, whilst the 

 other felling area was considered to be well enough stocked in 

 this respect. 



Up to 1880, the rotation of the State forests varied; but under 

 the present working-plan of 1881 the rotation is everywhere 

 fixed at twenty-five years. In the private forest the rotation is 

 only fourteen years. It may be noted that a change of rota- 

 tion of the underwood should take place gradually, otherwise an 

 excess of the lower parts of the crowns of the standards may be 

 killed by the consequently taller growth of the coppice. 



One cleaning of the coppice is made at seven years in the 

 private forest, in order to free the young standards from any 

 threatening coppice-shoots; whilst in the State forest no less than 

 three cleanings are made, — at six, twelve, and eighteen years 

 respectively. In these cleanings, all coppice-shoots too near the 

 standards are cut back, and the standards are pruned, and super- 

 fluous forked leaders suppressed. 



(b) Standards. — In the State forest oak standards are planted 

 as large-sized transplants of about 6 feet in height and seven 

 years of age. In the private forest the young standards, when 

 planted, are larger, being about 12 feet high, and frequently 

 with balls of earth. In the private forest, when the area to be 

 restocked is near the nursery, the plants are transported with 

 balls of earth ; but when the distance between forest and nursery 

 is great, the earth is shaken off", and saplings are transplanted in 

 the ordinary way. Twenty thousand young oak are planted out 

 annually in the Foret de Raismes, and 1 6,000 in the Foret de 

 St Amand, or 48 per acre. The planting takes place about the 

 middle of October, in order to avoid injury by spring frosts, and 

 to allow roots to get settled before all root-growth has ceased. 



At the thinning of the coppice, the young standards are pruned 

 and all epicormic branches are cut off the older standards ; in the 

 case of the private forest this is done by means of a triangular- 

 shaped instrument, one edge of which is sharpened, attached to 

 poles of different lengths. The instrument is pushed up from 

 below, and the epicormic branches severed from the trunk. 



For pruning trees of their larger branches, climbing-irons are 

 used, and the branches sawn off. This method is followed in the 



