METHODS OF TREATMENT 91 



this by making one, two, or more preparatory cuttings or 

 heavy thinnings. By doing this, air, light, and rain are let 

 into the wood ; the crowns of the trees left standing soon 

 grow larger and bear better seed ; and the humus decomposes 

 more rapidly. This preparatory stage may take ten or fifteen 

 years. Before starting these cuttings the future shelter trees 

 should be marked evenly over the area and the thinnings 

 should be then made so as to open these out gradually, start- 

 ing operations by cutting out any undesirable species which 

 may be standing in the wood, all very badly shaped or diseased 

 and overmature trees. Those with well developed crowns should 

 be left as future mother trees. In the course of time the con- 

 ditions will be nearly ready for regeneration, and mineral soil 

 will be seen here and there on kicking up the humus with the 

 foot. Operations now cease till a good mast year arrives. 

 Pigs may be admitted to the woods till the seed begins to fall, 

 as they grub up the soil and improve the germinating bed. 

 When the mother trees are seen to be covered with a good 

 crop of seed another cutting is made called a seeding ctitting. 

 This has for its object the removal of all trees not wanted as 

 future shelter to the young crop. It may be made when the 

 seed is quite ripe, and probably the best period is just as the 

 seed begins to fall naturally from the trees. The seed on the 

 felled trees is then well scattered over the area during felling 

 operations. Care must be taken to leave the proper number 

 of trees to form an efficient shelter. Rather a dark shelter is 

 required for beech, as the seedlings are frost-tender and shade- 

 bearing. On soils where weeds grow rapidly or where the 

 woods are exposed to strong winds or on poor loose stony 

 soils, the shelter wood should be kept darker than 'under 

 opposite conditions. 



All trees not required for future shelter are cut down, 

 usually about one third to one half of the crop on the ground 

 being now removed. The felled trees must be at once taken 

 out of the area, and this work must be completed before the 



