98 PROTECTION OF WOODLANDS. 



rough bark. The danger begins when the thickets are clearing 

 themselves, becomes imminent at the time of the first thinning of 

 the crop, and especially so with regard to the dominating poles, 

 whilst the backward growth, still rough with twigs, is threatened 

 to a much less extent. Crops of inferior development are not so 

 much attacked, owing to the presence of twigs and branches, and 

 the consequent coarseness of the bark. Stripping does not take 

 place everywhere ; it occurs chiefly in deer-parks, or wherever the 

 deer are hindered by fences from having access to fields. Where 

 a large head of game is inadequately provided with natural graz- 

 ing, and largely fed on hay and similar fodder, the damage as- 

 sumes much larger proportions than when a moderate head of deer 

 is maintained in the open. In mountainous tracts, where the game 

 can roam about at will, and where there is richer and more varied 

 grazing, damage from peeling the bark is seldom noticeable, even 

 with large herds of deer. 



Among the Preventive measures may be comprised the avoidance 

 of giving hay exclusively as fodder during the winter months, 

 and care generally in providing a moderate head of game with a 

 sufficiency of suitable nourishment. In young Spruce plantations 

 the putting out of seedlings in wisps of 3 to 5 has been found 

 beneficial, as the middle plants have a certain amount of pro- 

 tection. Although, both from a financial and an aesthetic point 

 of view, not suited for application on an extensive scale, the 

 smearing of individual stems and patches or groups of valuable 

 species with substances having a bad smell and taste is also 

 efficacious. The formation of numerous salt-licks has also be* 

 recommended as a protective measure against stripping of tl 

 bark, and an admixture of Holfeld's feeding-powder for deer 1 

 hoped to cure the tendency completely, which has unfortunate 

 not been the case. 



Reuss has recently recommended a plan which he has found to 

 yield good results, namely, binding twigs round the predominating 

 stems most exposed to danger. The wealth of twigs littering the 

 ground at the time of the first thinning-out taking place is made 

 use of for this purpose : one labourer piles up a bundle of fairly 

 long twigs by laying them one over the other round the stem, with 



1 According to Holfeld's receipt, it is composed as follows : 25 parts Turkish 

 Gall apples, 25 parts Oak bark, 20 parts Aniseed or Fennel, 10 parts Sniyrniuin, 10 

 parts Violet root, 10 parts Foenigrec (Famum graecum). To these add 40 parts salt 

 and 10 parts of pure Bone-meal. The hundredweight comes to about 50s. in cost. 



