UTILISATION OF ROOTS AND STUMPS. 221 



beneficial. That most destructive fungus, Armillaria mellea, 

 also spreads from stumps into new plantations. 



There are, however, certain disadvantages involved in the 

 removal of stumps ; in the first place, decayed stumps 

 increase the humus and mineral matter in the soil. This may 

 not be of importance where the humus is carefully preserved by 

 maintaining the leaf-canopy and preventing all removal of 

 litter, especially on damp soils. Where, however, these condi- 

 tions do not hold good, as for instance on poor sandy soil 

 where the litter is removed, if the stumps are also extracted 

 and the soil deprived of its last resource in organic 

 matter, it may thus be rendered absolutely unproductive. 

 Secondly, on steep slopes, wherever it is essential to hold the 

 soil together as much as possible, in order to prevent denuda- 

 tion, extraction of stumps should be prevented. 



Extraction of stumps is, therefore, permissible wherever it 

 can be done remuneratively, provided that no serious damage 

 is done to the standing-crop, as for instance by extracting 

 stumps of large reserved trees among poles or saplings, or of 

 mother-trees among thoroughly stocked natural regeneration. 

 It is advantageous : wherever there are blanks and gaps in 

 natural regeneration, even in coppices, provided the loosening 

 of the soil which accompanies the extraction of the stumps 

 causes no local damage by floods, or on steep slopes by land- 

 slips or aval .inches; wherever there is no fear of exhausting 

 the productiveness of the soil, and wherever it is wished to 

 prevent damage by delinquents extracting the stumps, or by 

 insects, fungi or mice. 



The question now arises whether it is better to extract the 

 stumps or to fell the trees by their roots. There has been much 

 discussion regarding this, but there can be no doubt that up- 

 rooting trees is preferable. By this method, much wood which 

 would otherwise be wasted, or become merely firewood, is kept 

 on the stem, and the roots are extracted not only more easily, 

 but also more thoroughly. Stems uprooted also fall more 

 lightly on the ground than felled trees ; so that there is less 

 breakage and damage done to young growth, and the roots 

 attached to the stem are converted more easily into smaller 

 material than in the case of a stump. 



