466 HEARING OP THE ESTABLISHED CROP. 



(a) Climbers. These should be pulled or dug up by the root* 

 wherever they occur ; they should not be allowed to shoot up 

 again. 



(b) Invasive gregarious shrubs. These should be cleared away 

 round a sufficient number of good seedlings, which they overtop or 

 press up against. If the crop is still low they should be cut a foot 

 or so below the level of those seedlings. The main point to aim 

 at is to enable the seedlings to meet crowns and close over, and 

 suppress, the shrubby thicket as quickly as possible. But if frosts 

 are to be feared, the cleaning must be very cautious and gradual. 



(c) Individuals of inferior dense-crowned species overtopping 

 valuable seedlings. Such individuals, if the seedlings do not re- 

 quire any further protection against them, should be cut off a 

 little below the level of the latter. Otherwise their crowns should 

 be circumscribed by judicious lopping. 



(d) Individuals of inferior, dense-crowned, faster-growing species 

 standing on the same level as valuable seedlings and pressing up 

 against them. Such stems should generally be cut back. If they 

 shoot up again, so much be better, for they will only help to push 

 up these latter until the next cleaning takes place. 



(d) Coppice-shoots when overtopping or pressing up against 

 valuable seedlings. Seedling-shoots have the same value as seed- 

 lings and should receive the same amount of respect. The obnox- 

 ious growth should be dealt with in the same manner as (c) 

 and (d). 



(e) Stunted bushy groivth interfering with the development of 

 seedlings. Such growth should be treated like (b) But if there is 

 no fear of frost, and it belongs to valuable broad-leaved species 

 that are absent or insufficiently represented at those points, some 

 of it should be cut back to throw up a vigorous regrowth capable 

 of shooting up in height. Stunted coniferous growth must of 

 course be weeded out in any case. 



The undesirable elements in a young crop are 



(a) Coppice-shoots where there is a sufficiency of seedlings of the 

 required species. They should be got rid of, if their removal will 

 improve the growth of their neighbours or even if the value of the 

 produce they can yield will at least cover the cost of their removal. 



(b) Individuals of inferior species, where there is sufficient cover 

 and shelter without their aid and they are not required as a perma- 

 nent element of the crop. The stems should, as a rule, be simply 

 bent down to the ground, or broken or cut off a little below the 

 height of the surrounding growth, so that they may help to main- 



