CLEANING OF YOUNG WOODS. 279 



recruiting can be done with plants of the same kind as the 

 original crop. Such plants may be obtained from nurseries, 

 or, in the case of natural regeneration, they may be taken 

 from places \Yhere the plants stand too close together. Direct 

 sowing is also done, but planting with strong plants is prefer- 

 able, because these have a better chance of keeping pace with 

 the rest of the crop. 



If the original crop is already so far advanced that plants of 

 the same species are not likely to catch it up, the recruiting 

 must be done with a quicker growing species ; if this is not 

 feasible, with a shade bearing species likely to stand the shade 

 of the surrounding saplings. 



Sometimes a 3'oung crop of a valuable species may be too 

 thin throughout the area, so that the soil is exposed, and the 

 young trees are not sufficiently forced up. In such cases it 

 may be useful to interplant the whole area with a quick grow- 

 ing species, such as birch, Scotch pine, or larch, which remains 

 until the first species has grown sufficiently to form by itself a 

 complete leaf canopy. Frequently a portion of the filling 

 species is retained as a permanent constituent of the crop. 



Young woods, which are the result of direct sowing or of 

 natural regeneration, are frequently here and there too densely 

 stocked. If no action were taken, the young trees would grow 

 up too weedy and lanky ; hence some of them must be pulled 

 up. Where they are not to be used for planting elsewhere, 

 they may be cut off close to the ground with a knife, sickle, 

 billhook, or shears. If the plants have already reached some 

 size, the removal of a portion must be done gradually, else 

 the remaining plants may be Ijent over from being deprived of 

 the support of their neighbours. 



3. Cleaninn of Youn;i Woods. 



The cleaning of a young wood has for its object to remove 

 in good time all growth which interferes with the proper 

 development of the principal species. Such interfering 

 growth may consist of stool shoots amongst a sufficient 



