2 o8 BRITISH FOREST TREES 



whose felling and dressing would be most likely to do 

 some injury to the seedling growth, should be removed 

 at once after the fall of the mast, and during the subsequent 

 clearances of the mature crop it is well to remove the 

 largest stems first. 



When oak forests are being reproduced naturally, the 

 admixture of beech on drier situations, and of ash, elm, 

 maple, sycamore, or, where advisable for soil-protection, 

 hornbeam on those that are moister, can easily be accom- 

 plished by sowing seed. If these species are only introduced 

 by means of planting when once the oak is in active growth, 

 they run great risk of being suppressed. 



Souring. Like the Scots pine, oak well repays any soil 

 preparation which may permit of the easy development of its 

 large tap-root ; wherever, therefore, it can be carried out with- 

 out too great outlay, this should take place by ploughing, 

 or by trenching or bastard-trenching in strips or patches on 

 the drier varieties of soil, and by the formation of ridges or 

 of small mounds on those that are moister. An excess of 

 moisture is not good for seedling growth of oak on any 

 class of soil, but in carrying out drainage works in wood- 

 lands it is not easy to regulate the extent to which the 

 process should be confined, and on deep, light sandy soils 

 the thriving of oak or pine is intimately connected with the 

 supply of moisture available for their deep root-systems. 



The simplest method of sowing is broadcast over the 

 whole area, but this requires large quantities of seed, some- 

 times as much as ten to twelve bushels or more per acre 

 when no special preparation of the soil has taken place, so 

 that it is only applicable in years when the acorns have been 

 plentiful. Even for broadcast sowing on trenched strips 

 or bands only, from five to eight bushels are found neces- 

 sary, whilst for partial sowing in furrows made by the 

 plough, or for dibbling-in in rows on the strips, about four 



