CUTTING UNDERWOOD 199 



over, and any stools carefully dressed with a hand - bill 

 wherever they present a jagged or split face, or wherever the 

 bark has become separated from the wood. 



An owner of coppice sometimes cuts and converts coppice 

 produce, and puts it upon the market himself. But the usual 

 practice is to sell the underwood unconverted to small dealers, 

 who have a special knowledge of the retail market. But it is 

 always preferable to have the coppice cut by the home staff 

 of workmen, and not to allow the buyer to cut it as he chooses. 

 The cost of cutting underwood per acre must vary con- 

 siderably. It will be rather more for areas under simple 

 coppice than for the smaller amount of coppice grown along 

 with standards. 



But coppice 25 years old will cost about 1 per acre; 

 20 years old, i6s. per acre ; 16 years old, I2s. 6d. per acre ; 12 

 years old, IDS. per acre. 



The season for cutting does not usually matter very 

 much provided the leaf is off. 



Oak coppice for barking will be cut when the bark will 

 peel i.e., the end of April or the beginning of May. 



In localities subject to late spring frosts the coppice 

 should not be cut until somewhat late, as by so doing the 

 young coppice shoots will be delayed in their growth, and 

 thus may escape a late frost. Otherwise it is best to cut 

 it in the autumn, for the sooner that it is cut, converted,. and 

 removed, the better. 



As regards the general management of simple coppice, 

 there is not a great deal that calls for special attention. It 

 is the easiest of 'all systems to manage. 



Perhaps the most important point is to insure that a 

 full stock of healthy stools is always present. 



There should be about 600 stools per acre, and thus on 

 an average they should be about SJ feet apart. Any 

 deficiency in this respect should be made good either (i) 

 by planting, (2) by " layering " or " plashing." 



(1) Planting. If planting is adopted it will generally 

 be necessary to plant out about 100 trees every time the 

 coppice is cut over ; though this will depend upon the species 



