FIR PLANTATIONS. 139 



twenty years old ; and these are, first, to see that 

 the standing trees are not injured by the falhng 

 of those that are cut down. I have seen much 

 damage done to the trees in a young plantation, 

 where the falling down of the cut trees was allowed 

 to take place in a careless and thoughtless manner ; 

 therefore it is that I here beg to recommend to all 

 operators, in the act of cutting down any tree of 

 considerable size and height, to be most careful in 

 the operation. When a fir tree happens to lose its 

 top by a felled neighbour coming in contact with 

 it, such a tree seldom or never increases any more 

 in height, and very frequently dies. The operator, 

 in the act of cutting down any tree of such weight 

 of branches as may be considered dangerous to let 

 fall against any of its neighbours, should, if he has 

 not a sufficient opening for its safe fall, provide 

 himself with a pruning chisel, having a shaft pro- 

 portioned to the height of the tree, and also a mell ; 

 and with these he should lop off all the heavy 

 branches from the tree to be felled, previous to its 

 being cut; and when it is thus made bare of all 

 its branches, any ordinary-sized tree may be at the 

 command of a man's strength, in so far as he may 

 be enabled to push it down to one side or another 

 as he may see fit to suit an opening among the 

 standing trees. I beg to observe here, that the 

 lopping off the branches from a tree of any con- 

 siderable size, is an operation requiring considerable 



