19 



to let several of them stand, but they should be so treated that maple 

 seedlings (which nearly always gain possession of the soil even under 

 beech) will have light enough to come'in under them. When these 

 seedlings become established the beech or birch can be removed, and 

 young maples favored after the method shown in figure 2. When 

 practicable always cut out other seedlings than maple. 



(4) Successive thinnings are better than a radical opening up of the 

 stand, because in this way danger of windfall and drying out the soil 



FIG. 2. A young, close-grown grove before and after thinning. 



are avoided. This method also leaves room to overcome the damage 

 done by porcupines. These animals probably are the worst enemies 

 of the young maple. One porcupine in a single night can strip the 

 bark off many saplings, and to such an extent that they are perma- 

 nently ruined. The sugar trees should not have more than 10 or 12 

 feet of free space on any side of their crowns. A thrifty maple can 

 fill such a gap in eight or ten years, after which a final thinning may 

 be made and the remaining weed trees removed. 



