SEASON FOR FELLING. 223 



Thus, hop-poles and bean- sticks are best felled in the early 

 winter, so that they may be sold before the spring. Timber 

 merchants under contract to supply certain goods, such as rail- 

 way-sleepers, Sec, are bound to do so before a certain fixed date, 

 and this circumstance will guide the forest manager in fixing the 

 time for his fellings. 



Finally, it is easy to see that certain local circumstances may 

 affect the felling period, such as accessibility of the ground, &c. 

 Sometimes in alder-woods on swamp}' ground, the timber can 

 only be removed when the ground is frozen. Where regular 

 inundations occur during spring, it may be necessary to fell in 

 summer. 



[In N. India during the monsoon (July-September) all fellings are 

 stopped in the plains' districts, and the month of October is so 

 malarious in some sub-Himalayan forests, that woodmen could only 

 frequent them at that period at the risk of their lives. — Tr.] 



9. Summary. 



To summarise the above : it may be laid-down that in localities 

 with a mild climate, winter should be considered the normal 

 season for felling ; in high mountain-regions with heavy snow- 

 fall and extensive coniferous forests, summer- or rather autumn- 

 fellings are generally necessary. 



Winter-felling occurs from the end of October till the end ot 

 March ; it is the most natural period for the work, as the forest 

 is at rest from vegetation, whilst the outturn is likely to be 

 more durable and of better quality than summer-felled wood. 

 Fellings cannot, however, be continued uninterruptedly during 

 winter in the lowlands ; deep snow may prevent the men from fell- 

 ing the trees sufficiently low down, and hard frost may render 

 it difficult to split the wood and injure the coppice-stools, whilst 

 much firewood is burned during the long, cold evenings by the 

 wood- cutters. 



As regards the distribution of different fellings during the 

 winter months, seeding and secondary fellings in broadleaved 

 woods are usually commenced immediately after the leaves have 

 fallen, and the felling-area should be cleared before the seeds 

 germinate, or the buds of the young growth sprout ; this is 



