TENDING THE PLANTATIONS 139 



as a rule the very ones that should be taken are left, and 

 those taken will be good poles that should be left to 

 form the final crop. In this way large areas of woodland 

 have been spoilt in the past. 



Thinnings should be made regularly, and a certain 

 percentage of the poles set aside for estate purposes. 



In thinning mixed plantations, the species that are left 

 as the final crop must be given the preference, and must 

 be protected against the other species, although badly 

 shaped or diseased trees of the principal varieties must 

 be cut out and good trees of a subordinate variety left 

 to take their places. 



In selecting the poles to be taken out, it is better to 

 mark all dead or dying ones first. In deciduous planta- 

 tions they should be marked in summer, when they are 

 more easily noticed. 



While they are being felled the forester should work 

 up behind the men and mark any other trees, such as 

 those that are pressing too closely upon or otherwise 

 injuring better trees. These are more easily selected 

 after the worst trees have been taken out. 



The marking may be done with a scribe, a tool which 

 cuts from a tree a strip of bark, which should be left 

 hanging, so that the trees marked may be more easily 

 seen by the fellers and also by the forester when marking 

 others. A scribe mark, however, in a pole wood is very 

 difficult to discern at a little distance, owing to the 

 density. In this case it is better to " blaze " or cut off 

 a slice of bark from both the backs and fronts of the 

 trees those at the back to be easily seen by the fellers, 



