NATURAL REGENERATION. 141 



spocies not required or desired for reproduction ; then 

 trees with bad crowns are chosen, followed by those 

 with exceptionally broad crowns, care being taken 

 throughout that the trees destined for the ultimate 

 shelter-wood are as evenly as possible distributed over 

 the area. 



I). Seeding Stage. 



If the process of preparatory cuttings has been allowed 

 to take its regular course, it will result in the locality 

 being gradually brought into a condition fit to produce 

 a new crop, which springs up and occupies the ground. 

 Such is, however, rarely the case in practice, because 

 the seed years come at irregular intervals; hence, to 

 avoid the risk of opening out the old wood too early, it 

 is desirable to hold back a little with the preparatory 

 cuttings. When a seed year actually comes, the regenera- 

 tion area is generally not quite ready for it, and it is 

 found necessary to make an additional cutting, which is 

 called the " seeding cutting." By this measure all trees 

 are removed which are not required afterwards for 

 shelter or the production of seed. 



It is evident that the seeding cutting should only be 

 made when the - seed is actually on the trees and suffi- 

 ciently advanced to be depended on. The cutting can 

 be made shortly before, during, or after the fall of the 

 seed. Cases in which this rule may be departed from 

 are comparatively rare, for instance, on thoroughly fresh 

 or moist soil, and in the case of a species which seeds 

 regularly every year. 



The important question at this stage is the density of 

 the shelter- wood which remains after the seeding cutting 



