CHAP, ix.] Tending of Woods 209 



called ' witches' brooms ' in Germany), or show any other forms of 

 fungoid diseases is certainly advisable, even at some consider- 

 able outlay, in order to prevent the propagation of the disorders, 

 and the penetration of diseases into the stem. But, at the 

 same time, in coniferous forests it also diminishes the liability 

 of the crops to be damaged by storms or by heavy accumula- 

 tions of snow and ice. And, finally, not its least utility is to 

 be found in the fact that, in mixed forests, the judicious removal 

 of lower branches often enables a greater density of crop to be 

 maintained for some years longer than can possibly be the 

 case if tending is confined solely to the operations of thinning. 

 For species like Ash, Maple, and Sycamore, which attain 

 maturity at a comparatively early age, this last consideration 

 is a matter of no little sylvicultural importance. 



