HIGHWOODS, COPSES, ETC. 289 



inch of earth in the case of acorns and chestnuts. 

 Although slower in attaining the object in view, 

 the sowing and dibbling in of seeds of hard- 

 woods has the advantages over planting of being 

 much the cheapest method of improving the 

 crop, and of being far less exposed to danger 

 from rabbits, as local experience has shown. 

 Material assistance can also be effectively ren- 

 dered by * plashing * ash and other hardwoods, 

 a cheap and simple method of layering strongly 

 to be recommended in moist localities prone 

 to heavy growth of weeds which would be likely 

 to choke seedlings. Both of these measures 

 should be carried out as early as convenient, 

 so that the whole area may be gone over and 

 improved within a very short period. It would 

 also be advantageous if at the time of the next 

 fall of coppice, the outer seedlings round all 

 such dibbled patches should be plashed and the 

 inner seedlings allowed to grow up to form the 

 future stores. Wherever the copsewoods seem 

 well suited for the growth of ash and sycamore, 

 these species should be encouraged as largely 

 as may be found practicable. Birch, saugh, and 

 aspen should, in such cases, be treated as weeds, 



