POSTERING OPERATION IN A YOUNG CROP. 459 



traneous causes of injury, and (o) strengthening and completing 

 of the crop. During the second and third stages the respective 

 operations to be effected are cleanings and thinnings. These various 

 operations will now be described in the following three Sections. 



SECTION I. 



Fostering operations in a young crop . 



During the early life of a crop we must protect it against causes 

 of injury extraneous to itself, directly foster its growth, and rid it 

 of those elements, which, while undesirable in themselves, not only 

 occupy room that would be more profitably filled by more valuable 

 individuals, but also harm these last. The great utility of advance 

 growth in regeneration operations has been proved over and over 

 again in Book II ; but in order that it may continue to form a 

 useful and desirable element of the crop it requires to be specially 

 looked after. Otherwise it either becomes stunted and bushy and 

 incapable of shooting up when the parent crop has been removed, 

 or, if it has come up in a crowded condition, it forms thin, lanky, 

 small-crowned, hide-bound individuals equally incapable of grow- 

 ing up into tall vigorous trees. 



ARTICLE 1. 



CARE OF ADVANCE GROWTH. 



In treating of regeneration fellings for natural reproduction by 

 seed, we have in various places explained how to utilise advance 

 growth. The role played by such growth is, however of such 

 immense importance, that it is necessary to consider the subject 

 in detail in this place. 



Although it is very difficult to judge how any given advance 

 growth is likely to turn out, nevertheless certain general indica- 

 tions are never wanting, with the help of which, aided by local ex- 

 perience, a fairly correct appreciation can always be arrived at. 

 These are 



(a) The species to which it belongs. We are here concerned al- 

 most exclusively with advance-growth of shade-enduring species, 

 for seedlings of shade-avoiding trees will hardly begin to put in a 

 permanent appearance until the crop presents the openness of a 

 seed-felling. Many species, such as Terminalia tomentosa, Hard- 

 wickia binata, sal, &c., still retain, after many years of suppression, 

 the faculty of shooting up again on being uncovered, especially if 

 they are at the same time cut back. 



