oh. viii REGENERATION BY SEED 207 



dangers from a burning sun, drying winds, torrential 

 downpours, plant enemies whether animal or vegetable, 

 are, as a rule, too great to allow of sudden removal of 

 the leaf-canopy. With mixed forests especially, it is 

 frequently the case that there is a sale only for the 

 more valuable species, and the dangers arising from 

 masses of dead wood lying about the coupes are too 

 great to be risked. 



(b) Partial Fellings 



Regeneration by partial fellings can be effected 

 uniformly over the area to be regenerated, successive 

 operations being carried out by which the cover is 

 gradually removed as the young crop germinates and 

 establishes itself, and irregularly, by taking out mature 

 or deteriorating trees here and there, where they require 

 to be removed, and replaced by young growth. 



(i.) Uniform Fellings. These comprise three series 

 of fellings, which are called respectively preparatory-, 

 seed-, and a/ter-fellings. 



Preparatory-fellings have for object to accustom 

 the trees left standing to bear isolation, to bring light 

 in sufficient quantity on their crowns, to encourage the 

 production of seed, and to prepare the soil, where 

 necessary, for the reception of seed. 



If the trees which are ultimately to become the seed- 

 bearers are exposed too freely all of a sudden, there is 

 danger that they may be thrown down by any sudden 

 storm ; they must, therefore, be gradually accustomed 

 to stand by themselves, and this is done by gradually 

 removing their neighbours. The number of preparatory- 

 fellings which are necessary for this purpose will largely 

 depend on the species which is to be thus isolated. If 

 the species has a weak root-system and a large crown, 

 the isolation has to be more gradual than with species 

 which stand firmer in the ground and have not too 

 large crowns. For this reason, the trees selected for 

 retention should have for their species not too laro-e a 



