THE COMPARTMENT SYSTEM. 233 



may be grubbed out, thus ensuring a considerable amount of 

 working of the soil. 



If the working of the soil is done after the seed has actually 

 fallen, the latter is thereby brought into the ground. The 

 depth of such working depends on the natm-e of the seed ; it 

 may be deeper for large seed, such as acorns, beechnuts, and 

 chestnuts, but it must be shallow for small seeds. At this 

 period the question what to do with any advance growth must 

 also be decided. Many foresters clear it away, so that the 

 young crop may be as uniform as possible ; others leave 

 really heallliy groups of it to form part of the new wood; 

 ordinary underwood of other species must be removed. 



From this time forward the regeneration area must be 

 carefully protected against the removal of litter, cattle grazing, 

 and grass cutting. 



f. Final Shige. 



The final staye comprises the period from the execution 

 of the seeding cutting until the ultimate removal of the 

 shelter- wood. 



The principal objects of the shelter-wood, after the ground 

 has been stocked with a crop of seedlings, are to protect the 

 young growth against various dangers and to preserve tbe 

 activity of the soil until the new' crop can undertake that duty. 

 At the same time the shelter-wood will act obstructively as 

 regards the admission of light and precipitations, and therefore 

 it must not be left longer than is actually required. Its 

 removal is effected, so as to meet these various requirements, 

 by one or several successive cuttings executed at intervals of 

 one, two, or more years. The rate at which, or the time 

 within which, the removal takes place depends on various 

 considerations, such as the following: — 



i. Activity of the Soil. 



The preservation of a suitable degree of moisture in the 

 soil is of first importance. Owing to the action taken during the 

 preparatory- stage, the degree of moisture in the soil may have 



