144 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY. 



As already indicated, the shelter-wood should consist 

 of healthy trees with moderate-sized elevated crowns. 

 If trees with low crowns have to be selected, it is 

 useful to prune the lower branches away to a height of 

 1520 feet. 



The time for making the seeding cutting may be, as 

 stated above, shortly before, during, or after the fall 

 of the seed ; it must be concluded and all the mate- 

 rial removed before the seed begins to germinate. In 

 felling the trees care must be taken not to injure those 

 which remain as the shelter- wood. 



The proper time has now arrived for considering 

 whether any artificial working of the soil is required. 

 Should this be the case, it can be done as indicated on 

 page 138. Where root wood is saleable and the removal 

 of the stools desirable on other grounds, the trees com- 

 prised in the seeding cutting may be grubbed out, thus 

 insuring a considerable amount of working the soil. 



If the working of the soil is done after the seed has 

 actually fallen, the latter is thereby brought into the 

 ground. The depth of such working depends on the 

 nature of the seed ; it may be deeper for large seed, 

 such as acorns, beech nuts and chestnuts, but it must 

 be shallow for small seeds. 



From this time forward the regeneration area must be 

 carefully protected against the removal of litter, cattle 

 grazing, and grass cutting. 



c. Final Stage. 



The final stage comprises the period from the execu- 

 tion of the seeding cutting, until the ultimate, removal 

 of the shelter- wood. 



