THE AFTER- FELLINGS IN THE UNIFORM METHOD. 353 



autumn and early winter, or late autumn and the whole of win- 

 ter, or the whole of winter and the first few weeks of spring, or 

 the latter half of the cold weather and the whole of the hot 

 weather, and so on. 



In felling or lopping the trees, the same procedure should be 

 followed as in the preparatory and seed-fellings ; but here, on 

 account of the young reproduction, it will not always be possible 

 to grub out the trees, although in a financial sense the operation 

 may be remunerative, and the lopping of trees before felling them 

 must be much more general. 



2. Removal of epicorms. 



Epicorms make their appearance only in bright seed-coupes and 

 in consequence of the after- fellings. Their removal is necessary only 

 when, owing to the exploitation of the affected trees being still very 

 remote, they are likely to produce knottiness in the bole and by 

 strengthening themselves at the expense of the crown, to render 

 the trees stag-headed. If the trees are to be felled within a, 

 period of five years or so, the retention of the epicorms will do 

 little harm. 



The tools used for removing epicorms should be either light 

 hatchets with a broad cutting-edge, or bills (Fig. 127), or pruning 

 hooks, or saws with a narrow, yet stiff, blade and fine, but strongly 

 set, teeth. Of these various tools the first two, being more expe- 

 ditious and easier to use and making a perfectly clean section, are 

 to be preferred. Pruning hooks, of which Fig. 2 represents an 

 excellent pattern, have their place only when the epicorms are very 

 small and break off easily, and the advantage they offer is that with 

 them the operator can reach a great height above himself. The 

 cutting-edge forming the extremity of the tool represented in Fig. 

 2 may be used like a chisel from below upwards. The saw may 

 also be attached to the end of a pole, as shown in Figs. 110 and 

 111. Bow-saws buckle less and are more convenient and less fati- 

 guing than saws of other patterns. In using the hatchet or bill- 

 book, the blow should be delivered from below upwards, otherwise, 

 however sharp the tool may be, the branch is almost certain to be 

 wrenched or torn off, with a piece of the bark and even wood of 

 the bole adhering. Under any circumstances, the epicorms should 

 be taken off flush with the bole and with a perfectly clean section 

 so that the wound may close over quickly before decomposition 

 has time to set in. 



In order to reach the epicorms, the workmen may employ li<>iit 



