FORESTRY 163 



through the New Forest may pass, after survey- 

 ing these old encoppicements with all their in- 

 teresting history, into one of the old oak woods 

 planted under the Act of 1698, in the years which 

 immediately followed the passing of that Act. 



A more astonishing contrast in methods of 

 sylviculture can hardly be imagined. Here are 

 no, or very few, beeches. Here are no pollarded 

 trees. On the contrary, we see around us woods 

 wholly of oak, standing very close together even 

 now, after fifty years of constant thinnings, drawn 

 up, as such trees must necessarily be, to a con- 

 siderable height, and containing an average of say 

 100 cubic feet of timber, with no side branches 

 up to many feet in height. 



These trees were are all sown, not planted. 

 The method of sowing is recorded. " Pits or beds 

 of three spits of ground each were dug, a yard 

 apart, and three acorns planted triangularly in 

 each bed. Half a bushel of acorns were allotted 

 for each person to plant in one day. Two re- 

 garders attended every day during the time of 

 planting, to see that it was properly done : and 

 after the ground was fully planted with acorns, 

 it was sown with hawes, holly berries, sloes, and 

 hazelnuts, and drains cut where necessary ; and 

 traps were set to catch mice ; and persons at- 

 tended daily to re- set the traps and keep off 



