410 THE THREE SYSTEMS OF REGENERATION COMPARED. 



(pp. 354-5); if it is the coppice system that is used, then self- 

 sown seedlings will be sought and utilised to maintain the coppice- 

 producing stock in its fullest abundance and vigour (pp. 402- 

 3). 



IV. Combination of all three systems. Necessary only in 

 stored coppice ( for illustration see p. 403). 



One great rule for general guidance can, however, always be 

 laid down. As natural regeneration, whether by seed or by cop- 

 pice, costs little or nothing at all, we should in every case, 

 especially in a vast country like India, where we can only work on 

 broad lines without venturing into any great detail, endeavour to 

 make it our stand-by and have recourse to artificial methods only 

 as supplementary expedients, using these latter as our principal 

 means only when the end sought cannot be attained by any other, 

 as when extensive blanks have to be stocked or where seed-bear- 

 ing trees are wanting or when the species it is intended specially 

 to propagate cannot reproduce itself in any thing like adequate 

 proportions, &c. As respects natural regeneration by seed, some 

 advance growth of the valuable species will rarely fail to make 

 its appearance before the seed-felling falls due or the crop is 

 ripe for the axe. Often this advance growth will be all but 

 complete, and, at the worst, it will always be abundant enough to 

 save a considerable amount of artificial work, even when no seed 

 felling is undertaken and direct sowing or planting is at once 

 proceeded with. 



