120 ELEMENTS OF STLVICULTUEE. 



her that the saw is advantageously used, as it then 

 saves all the wood which would otherwise fall in 

 chips under the axe. But in that case the pro- 

 duction of shoots is no longer the ohject proposed. 



The axe or hatchet and the billhook are the cut- 

 ting implements most frequently employed. The 

 billhook is used with one hand only and hence 

 requires less clear space. The shock it produces is 

 slighter than that caused by the axe. For this rea- 

 son it ought to be employed for all poles under two 

 inches in diameter, in order to avoid shaking the 

 roots. Otherwise the fibrous roots would run the 

 risk of being broken, and the vitality of the stool 

 endangered. The axe is suited for trees of a larger 

 diameter. 



Whether the billhook or the axe is used, it is 

 always necessary to take the precaution of cutting 

 the bark right through up to the wood on the side 

 opposite to that on which the woodman finishes 

 cutting. The object of this is to avoid the risk of 

 having the bark torn off and to preserve the roots 

 entire. 



The surface of section ought always to be clean 

 and slightly inclined, so as to allow rain-water to 

 run off easily. For this purpose it ought to slope 

 only in one direction : it should not be hollowed out 

 in the centre. If the tree has been cut to the right 

 and to the left, so as to leave a sort of gutter in the 

 middle, the stool ought to be levelled down. 



The stool should always be cut down to the 

 ground. The only exception to this rule is when 

 the locality is fiat and low and subject to frequent 



