DRY FALLEN WOOD. 575 



expedite the formation of humus, au important point in the 

 case of wet and binding soils. Moreover, the coating of dead 

 leaves when mixed with pieces of dry wood is not so easily 

 removed by wind, a property not to be despised for exposed 

 beech- woods on poor soil. In woods which have been sown 

 artificially or naturally, the stems free themselves of their dead 

 branches. This, however, in modern plantations, is not com- 

 pletely secured without pruning ; the branches otherwise become 

 enclosed within the stems and thus depreciate the value of 

 planks and scantling obtained from the trees. In such cases it 

 is best to employ paid labour to prune the trees : where, how- 

 ever, the collectors of dry wood are properly supervised and 

 allowed to remove dead branches with small hand-saws, the cost 

 of pruning is saved, and damage avoided which may be con- 

 siderable when the dry branches are roughly removed. 



