DAMAGE CAUSED BY ANIMALS. 87 



them off from the stools. In Copse, or coppice under standards, 

 much the same happens as in coppice-woods, and only saplings 

 of seedling growth are liable to be much damaged by grazing. 



When herds have been driven into the woods too early in 

 spring, before sufficient grass has come up, or have been kept 

 there too late into the autumn, after the grass has grown hard 

 and untoothsome, or if they have been allowed to go in in too 

 large numbers relatively to the grazing area, or if they have been 

 allowed to graze too long in any one portion of the woods, so that 

 the grass browsed on has not had time to grow again sufficiently, 

 then naturally more damage is done by the herds to the young 

 woodland growth. It has also been noted that herds prefer the 

 foliage of young growth to grass during wet weather, which is no 

 doubt due to the more rapid drying of the former. 



46. Protective Measures advisable in regard to Grazing. 



The best means of preventing damage from grazing consist in 

 the following measures, of which the first three are in many 

 countries imposed on all proprietors of woodlands by rules, framed 

 under Forest Acts, and having the force of law : 



1. The closing of Falls bearing Young Crops. How long the 

 protective time should last is of course dependent on the species 

 of crop, the conditions of its growth, and the nature of the grazing ; 

 but in any case protection must at least be given until the young- 

 woods have outgrown the reach of the cattle. The protected 

 areas are usually distinguished by some well-known mark or 

 visible sign, like wisps of straw bound to poles stuck in the 

 ground, or by means of boards with the notice " Grazing 

 forbidden!' 



2. Adequate Supervision. Grazing should only be permitted 

 under the supervision of a herdsman, with one or two lads under 

 him in the case of large herds. In some localities it is prescribed 



j that all the cattle, or at anyrate the majority of the animals, 

 ; must be provided with bells attached to their necks, so that cases 

 I of straying away from the herd, or getting lost in grassy planta- 

 i tions, may the more easily be prevented or discovered. 



3. Prohibition of Grazing during the Night. As supervision 

 is impossible during the night-time, grazing should neither be 



! allowed before sunrise nor after sundown. 



