UNDERPLANTING. 1 99 



usually most profitable at the above ages, and consequently 

 the crop cannot, generally speaking, be so dealt with without 

 incurring serious loss. 



Fortunately, however, another course may be successfully 

 followed. This consists in establishing, under the gradually 

 lightening canopy, a new crop of young trees which may make 

 good its shelter-giving deficiencies. The " under-crop " must 

 of course consist of "shade-bearing" species, such as beech, 

 hornbeam, silver fir, or spruce, otherwise it could not establish 

 itself under the canopy of the " over-crop " ; but even then, 

 if " underplanting " is to be undertaken early enough to do 

 good, some thinning of the over-crop, by the removal of the 

 worst of the trees, is usually needed to afford sufficient light 

 for the development of the new under-crop. 



Such underplanting, if done before the over-crop is too old, 

 and before the impoverishment of the soil has gone too far, 

 will enable crops of oak, larch, and other light-crowned species 

 to maintain a satisfactory rate of growth up to a profitable age, 

 and it may even suffice to restore vigour to a crop which has 

 begun to decline from the causes under discussion, provided the 

 evil has not gone too far. 



The two crops grow on together ; the trees of the over-crop 

 are removed gradually as they attain the desired girth or 

 interfere too much with the due development of the under-crop, 

 and the latter may then be either cleared off or allowed to 

 stand for a further period to increase its dimensions, as may 

 at the time seem best. 



From the above it will be seen that underplanting is done 

 entirely in the interest of the over-crop. The under-crop is 

 of quite secondary importance ; and it would never, for its own 

 sake, be planted or sown as such, for the simple reason that 

 the over-crop standing among and over it is not only of no 

 use to it, but after a comparatively short number of years 

 becomes a distinct impediment to its development, by depriving 

 it of light and of the benefit of light rainfall. The under- 

 crop will, no doubt, have some value ; but the object in view 

 is not the realisation of this value, as the under-crop yields its 

 profit indirectly, through' the favourable influence which it 

 exercises on the development of the more valuable over-crop. 



A crop of dense-crowned species such as beech, spruce, or 

 silver fir cannot, of course, be underplanted at all, and it is 



