86 PROTECTION OF WOODLANDS. 



entirely to superficial injuries on shallow roots, occasioned by the 

 horny feet of the cattle. When there is any rank, rich growth 

 of grass in the young hags and falls, the extent of any damage 

 done to the seedling growth by cattle and sheep is often very 

 nominal, and is at times more than counterbalanced by the benefit 

 done in retarding the growth of the grass by grazing off it, and 

 by crushing and treading it down under foot ; hence, in fact, 

 cattle and sheep are sometimes driven in, as a cultural measure, 

 where there is a danger of the young crop suffering through the 

 rank growth of grass and weeds. 



A certain influence is also exerted by the nature of the soil 

 and situation, for the fresher and the more powerful the soil, the 

 richer is the growth of grass, and the less likely, consequently, 

 are the herds to attack the woody-fibrous plants ; the recupera- 

 tive power of the latter is, at the same time, always greater on 

 fresh, strong, fertile soil. The damage done on steep slopes by 

 dislodgement of the soil is often not inconsiderable, whilst, at the 

 same time, the animals have got a much more favourable oppor- 

 tunity of feeding on the crowns of the plants growing below 

 them, than they could possibly have on level or merely gently 

 sloping ground. 



In the method of treatment by selection-fellings here and 

 there, a system leading to the more or less irregular inter mix tun- 

 of old trees with young seedling growth over all the area under 

 woodland, the damage done to tree-growth by grazing is nunv 

 pronounced, for it is impossible to shut off the hags or falls under- 

 going natural reproduction, as may easily be done in the case of 

 high timber forest, where the annual or periodic falls may he 

 closed against grazing, so as to reduce to a minimum the damage 

 done to the young crops. And, indeed, the very apparent injury 

 done by grazing in such irregularly stocked woods has been one 

 of the reasons for transforming them into growing-stock with a 

 regular series of annual or periodic crops of equal age, from the 

 period of their formation up till the time of their maturity. 

 Coppice- woods not only quickly outgrow the reach of cattle, 

 owing to the speedy rate of growth of stool-shoots, but, at the 

 same time, they possess so strong a reproductive power that tin- 

 damage done is seldom considerable, even when the ha^s are 

 actually grazed over; in very young coppice-growth, however, some 

 injury may be done by treading down young shoots, and breaking 





