FORESTS OF TREES OF VARIOUS AGES. 85 



To form a Mittelwald, one proceeds in precisely 

 the same way as for coppice up to the first felling, 

 when, instead of clearing all off, twenty selected 

 stems to the acre should be left as nearly as 

 possible at uniform distances of 45 to 50 feet 

 apart. No more stems should be left at the 

 second period, as these would be only coppice 

 shoots, which would never grow to timber. At 

 the third period there would be seedlings from 

 the first reserve, and of these, six per acre might 

 be reserved, a corresponding number of the first 

 reserve being cut out to make room for them, 

 and the process repeated at every felling, the six 

 stems taken out being not trees of uniform age, 

 but one or two of the reserves of each period. 



Even with this moderate number of reserved 

 stems there would soon be an appreciable diminu- 

 tion in the yield of fuel, but I believe the timber 

 yield would more than compensate for it. 



