166 ELEMENTS OF SYLVICULTURE. 



reducing the sum of production. At the most it 

 may be allowable to cut off the ends of a branch 

 which stretch out far and immediately overhang a 

 first class standard of the same species ; even then it 

 is often more prudent to abstain from doing so. 



In the last place, a live branch may be broken off 

 by the wind or by an accident in the felling opera- 

 tions. In this case, the thing to be done is very 

 simple. One of two cases happens. Either the 

 branch still retains enough twigs to enable it to live, 

 in which case its broken extremity must be lopped 

 off close to the nearest twig, so that the section 

 may be rapidly covered over, or else the branch is 

 broken close to its point of insertion and cannot there- 

 fore live ; here the same thing must be done as in the 

 case of a dead branch, that is to say, it must be 

 lopped off clean on a level with the trunk, if decay 

 is to be feared or the branch is small ; otherwise the 

 broken surface must simply be replaced by a clean 

 section. 



It should be understood that the rules given above 

 apply chiefly to the oak. They must be extended 

 also to the elm and ash, large logs of which are in 

 great demand, and which also suffer much from all 

 kinds of amputation. As for the other species, they 

 require less care, not because lopping does them no 

 injury, but because they are much less valuable and 

 may do real harm by their cover. 



