86 METHODS OF TREATMENT 



up. At the end of the first rotation there will be upon the 

 ground : 



10 acres covered with wood 60 years old. 

 10 ,' 59 



IO !> 5> 58 55 >' 



and so on to 



10 acres covered with wood 2 years old. 

 10 i year 



the age here meaning the number of years since the planta- 

 tion was formed. After the first rotation the owner, in theory, 

 will be able to cut ten acres of mature wood for ever, assuming 

 that the fertility of the soil is maintained. If the present 

 crop is even aged, the crop cut at the end of the first rotation 

 will of course be older than that cut at the beginning. The 

 value of all the crops (with the exception of the mature wood 

 on 10 acres) together with the value of the land, represents 

 the capital invested, while the value of the ten acres of 

 mature trees plus the value of thinnings in the younger woods 

 minus the annual expenses, represents the interest the owner 

 receives. 



In practice there is no reason why the falls should follow 

 each other regularly over the area, in fact for reasons given in 

 Chapter VIII it is better that this should not be the case. 

 The oldest crops should generally be dealt with first, together 

 with those which are growing badly, but the protective 

 measures against insects, fungi, and storms mentioned in 

 Chapters VIII, IX, and X must also be taken into consideration 

 in locating the order of cutting. The theoretically correct 

 area need not be invariably cut every year and under all con- 

 ditions ; where, for instance, the soil and growing crop is poor, 

 a larger area may be cut than where it is good, to equalize 

 the yield. 



The area decided upon for the year's working is clean cut, 

 leaving nothing whatever standing upon the ground ; a new 



