156 ARBORICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF KENT. 



coppice after that date is forfeited. The mode of cutting is this : 

 A man with a hand-bill brushes off all side branches, and ties them 

 into kiln faggots for brick-burning, at 2s. 6d. per 100, which sell 

 at 4s. 6d. per 100. Being far from the coal mines, these faggots 

 supply the place of coal in many ways ; but in many places this 

 small spray is worthless, and is either gathered into heaps and 

 burned, or it is allowed to decay in the wood. The coppice is then 

 cut off the slab with an axe, and cut into hop poles of different 

 lengths, as the ware will admit. 10 feet poles are cut for Is. Id., 

 and sold at 9s. per 100; 12 feet poles, cut at Is. 4d., and sold at 

 15s.; 14 feet poles, cut for Is. 8d., and sold for 22s.; and 16 feet 

 poles, cut for 2s., and sold from 30s. to 36s. These are the aver- 

 age prices for good poles in the wood, inferior poles will not 

 realise these figures, while choice poles will exceed them. 



The smaller ware is cut into hooping for cement and flour 

 barrels, both for the home and foreign trade. These are cut for 

 |d., and sold at Is. per 100. Large quantities of flower-sticks and 

 pea-boughs are cut, which greatly contribute to the revenue. 

 The refuse is made into house faggots for firing at 5s., and sold for 

 22s. per 100. When the coppice grows too long for the poles 

 wanted, a bat is cut off the butt end, and sold at 20s. per 100 for 

 sheep hurdles, which are always in demand. 



Fences. — The woods are enclosed by a turf bank ; the proprietor 

 makes the fences by piece-work ; the ditch around the wood is 

 cleaned out, and small stakes, 3 feet long, are driven into the top 

 of the bank 15 inches apart, around which are twisted long 

 straight rods, forming a strong basket-work, which protects the 

 coppice for ten or eleven years. This cleaning the ditch and 

 making the fence is done for 8d. per rood of 5 J yards. 



The oak timber to be cut is marked with red paint, selecting 

 those trees that have attained maturity, and those that have a 

 short stem and bushy top, as they will never produce large timber, 

 and they injure the coppice. Trees of an upright habit of growth 

 should be reserved, as they do less injury to the coppice. 



In the woods there are oak trees of all ages and all sizes, from 

 the young teller ten years of age up to full-grown timber. This 

 is caused by the regular saving of young tellers at the fall of 

 underwood every ten or eleven years. After the trees to be cut 

 are marked, they are generally sold by private treaty to timber 

 merchants at so much per foot measured down. The price is regu- 

 lated by the size and quality of the timber the current price of 



