NATURAL REPRODUCTION OF FORESTS. 43 
tion to deciduous forests, containing a mixed crop of hardwood 
trees. In order to do so, it will be necessary to mention briefly a 
few of the deciduous trees which compose the woods of our 
country, viz., the Oak, Ash, Beech, Elm, Maple or Sycamore, 
Spanish Chestnut, Cherry, Birch, Alder, Horse-Chestnut, Horn- 
beam and Hazel. With this number of species of a good age, 
which a mixed wood is assumed to contain, we may begin the 
work of reproduction without delay, by frequent thinnings at 
stated periods, as already detailed. The first point which engrosses 
our attention in connection with the operation is, How can we 
best accomplish our object in order to obtain the best results? 
Here also it will be necessary to consider which kind of tree is 
the most likely to attain the greatest value in a given time, and 
such trees must necessarily have precedence as the future crop. 
At the same time note must be made of the kind from which the 
supply of timber has to be furnished for estate and local demands. 
Due attention must also be given to the following, viz., the probable 
financial results to be obtained from the produce of the crop by 
judicious management; the means whereby the timber may be 
most expeditiously brought to the market, which latter includes a 
sufficiency of good roads throughout the woods. These and many 
other points which it is unnecessary to relate, cannot, or ought not, 
to be lost sight of by the practical forester when conducting 
operations with a view to either natural or artificial reproduction 
of forests. 
We next proceed to examine the ground, in order to ascertain 
whether or not drainage is required, care being taken not to 
overdrain the ground, as the trees will thrive better in a mode- 
rately moist than in a very dry soil. All the drainage that is 
requisite is to remove the water likely to accumulate in miry or 
quaggy parts of the wood. The surface vegetation will indicate 
to the practical eye if the soil is in want of further drainage. It 
now rémains for us to carry out the operation of thinning by a 
selective mode of treatment, as already described for Scots fir ; 
removing the birch and Spanish chestnut, and, if possible, felling 
all the inferior trees first ; reserving those of a sound and vigor- 
ous growth until it becomes necessary to remove them in rotation 
out of the way of the young trees. It will be judicious to con- 
duct all the thinnings by successive selections of the most suitable 
trees, until a sufficient distribution of seedling plants are spread 
over the entire area to ensure a crop. As many seeds of forest 
