APPLICATION OF THE METHOD. 57 



(iv.) The bole of the oak, protected by the shade of 

 the beech, is not liable to become covered with 

 epicormic branches. 



(v.) The timber of the two trees serves different 

 purposes and thus the wants of the market are more 

 fully supplied. 



(vi.) The yield of the first periodical thinnings 

 becomes more valuable if the beech is numerous 

 enough to allow the thinnings to tell on it more than 

 on the oak. 



(vii.) Lastly, a complete crop of seedlings is sooner 

 obtained, because the years of seed do not always 

 coincide for the two trees, and the proportion of oak 

 need not be large in the young crop. 



But, on the other hand, there are disadvantages 

 arising from the fact that the beech is frequently a 

 faster grower than the oak during the first few years, 

 and that later on, when the two go ahead at about 

 the same pace, the thinnings require great nicety of 

 judgment for their execution. So the forester 

 cannot be invited too earnestly to give his best 

 attention to the treatment of these two trees 

 associated, and carry out, whenever he can, connected 

 series of observations relating thereto. 



Our present knowledge on the subject appears to 

 be summed up in the following rules. 



ROTATION. Whenever the proportion of oak in the 

 mixture is appreciably large, one-tenth, for example, 

 the rotation must be fixed so as to allow this tree to 

 attain a girth of seven to eight feet, that is to say, at 

 from one hundred and sixty to two hundred years ; 

 but if the oaks are simply scattered here and there, 



