184 ELEMENTS OP SYLVICULTURE. 



and without breaking into the leaf-canopy, there must 

 occasionally be no hesitation in freely extricating 

 the crowns of oak trees. If there is a chance that 

 these oaks will be good enough to reserve after the 

 final cuttings, this operation will be a considerable 

 step towards the goal. 



To obtain from preparatory cuttings all their use- 

 ful results, it is clearly necessary to repeat them 

 periodically like thinnings. Taking into considera- 

 tion the age of the crops operated upon, a periodicity 

 of from ten to twelve years appears highly suitable. 

 By this means the conditions will be easier for 

 distinguishing what is hurtful from what is still use- 

 ful, and the dangers resulting from an operation 

 carried out in too timid or in too rash a spirit will be 

 avoided. It will also furnish increased facilities for 

 selecting the standards to be preserved. 



COPSING. Coppice cuttings are continued in the 

 blocks which still have to wait more than one period 

 to reach their turn of regeneration. In these cuttings 

 the end to be kept in view ought to be the formation 

 of a numerous reserve composed of the most capable 

 subjects for seeding the ground at the desired 

 moment, consequently in those blocks whose turn 

 comes last, a large number of standards of the first 

 and second classes must be preserved. But this is 

 not a reason for felling third class standards before 

 they are mature. In the first place such a step 

 would be a loss as regards the utility of the produce, 

 and in the second place it must be borne in mind 

 that in all probability several successive coppice 

 cuttings will be executed before the moment for 



