22S NATTRAL REGENERATION OF WOODS. 



reduced that the mineral soil can be seen hero and there 

 through it, without bein^]; altof^'ether exposed ; the seedliiip;s 

 will then be able to establish their rootlets in the mineral soil 

 at an early stage, and thus escape the danger of being killed 

 off by a subsequent spell of dry weather. Tf. at the conclusion 

 of the preparatory stage, this condition h;is not been reached, 

 a portion of the humus and leaves or moss may have to be 

 removed artificially, or mixed with the mineral soil below. 



In many cases the vegetable covering of the soil has been 

 already too much reduced by a premature interruption of the 

 leaf canopy, so that the most favourable condition of the seed 

 bed is past, the soil having becon^e hard and dry, or overrun 

 by grass and weeds. In such cases further cuttings would 

 only increase the evil, and must therefore be omitted ; a suit- 

 able seed bed is in that case secured by working the soil 

 immediately before or after the seed falls. The working of 

 the soil may consist merely in removing the weed growtli, or 

 in hoeing it up either entirely or in strips or patches, causing 

 it to be broken up by pigs, raking, harrowing, or even ploughing 

 it with a light forest plough. Generally speaking, this opera- 

 tion is known as " ir<>undi)ifi the. soil,'' and is considered a most 

 important cultural measure. At the same time it is expensive, 

 and should be executed only when necessary. 



ii. Stukngthening ihe Shici;ieh Tiikes. 



After the ground has actually become stocked with seedlings, 

 only a certain number of the trees, which formed the original 

 wood, will remain on the ground to afford shelter to the young 

 crop and the soil. If all the rest of the wood were removed at 

 one cutting, so that the above-mentioned shelter trees were 

 suddenly brought from a crowded into a comparatively open 

 position, they would probably be thrown by the first gale. 

 To avoid this they must be i)laced only gradually in a more 

 open position, so as to obtain a firmer hold of the ground. 

 This is done by the preparatory cuttings. 



The trees which are to form the ultimate shelter-wood must 



