NATURAL REGENERATION. 187 



drying up and rot, and tend to reduce the reproductive 

 power of the stool. 



Although this process of deterioration cannot be alto- 

 gether prevented, its extent and rapidity can be reduced 

 by careful cutting. In the first place the size of the cut 

 should not be too large, in the second place it should be 

 smooth, and finally it should be slanting, so that water 

 may not rest on it (Fig. 72). Iifl the case of large shoots, 

 the cut may be given a slope from the centre to two sides, 



Good. Good. Bad. 



Fig. 72. Fig. 73. Fig. 74. 



or it may receive the shape of a cone (Fig. 73). The cut 

 should on no account slope inwards (Fig. 74). The cut 

 should be made with a sharp billhook or axe, and not 

 with a saw. If the latter is unavoidable, the cut should 

 subsequently be smoothed with a billhook, axe, or knife. 

 Another important point is that the bark should not be 

 severed from the wood around the edge of the cut. 



The height from the ground at which the tree is cut 

 over also influences the success. Except where inun- 

 dations are feared, it is preferable to cut close to the 

 ground, as there is less corky bark on the root-neck; 

 besides, if the shoots appear low down, at or a little 

 below the surface, they are more likely to develop inde- 

 pendent roots, and thus ensure great longevity of the 

 stool. 



In southern countries, where the sun may dry up the 



