AMKUICAN INSTITUTE. 299 



If it be profitable to plant new woods, it is assuredly much more so to 

 protect those that are already planted ; to fill them up where thin, and to 

 restore them when in a state of decline. The expense, in this way, is not 

 only lessened by the saving of new fences, but the profit is much increased 

 by the rapid growth of the wood, when planted in situations that are shel- 

 tered by other trees and plants already growing. In woods where saplings 

 rise in great numbers, spontaneously, their growth should, by all means, be 

 encouraged, and the pernicious custom of permitting cattle to feed in the 

 woods, under an idea that after they are of a certain age, say seven years 

 old, the shoots are grown out of the way and cannot be injured, abandoned, 

 for the reason that there is always a great deal of the underwood so low 

 as never to get out of the reach of cattle, but constantly liable to be kept 

 down and cropt by them, and the decay of the stocks consequently much 

 hastened. 



Another cause of the early decay of woods, ia the want of draining ; 

 another still, the custom of suffering woods' to grow too old before cutting, 

 whereby the strong shoots smother the weak ones, and by their dropping 

 kill the stocks on which they grow. A fourth cause of decay is the prac- 

 tice of cutting the old wood as close to the stock as possible, which is 

 highly prejudicial to the succeeding shoots, as well as the custom of not 

 clearing the woods early in the summer, so as to prevent the new shoots 

 from being injured by the cattle, wagons, and other circumstances. When 

 a wood lot is cut off, and the sprouts begin to grow, my practice is to leave 

 two stems upon each stool, for a double growth, by which a portion of wood 

 may be procured each fall. I have a large plantation of chestnuts, now 

 seven years old, treated in this way, the trees are as straight as arrows, 

 and perfectly luxuriant. The period of cutting wood should be regulated 

 by the luxuriance of its growth, the demand of the country, and the uses 

 to which it is to be applied when cut. The interest of money and loss of 

 the succeeding growth, tell greatly against the value of standing wood 

 after it is fit to cut. As soon, therefore, as wood is fit for market, it should 

 be cut, unless it will pay compound interest by standing longer, or in other 

 words, will pay not only the simple interest of the first value, but likewise 

 the loss of so many years growth of the wood, as so far advanced towards 

 another crop. Wood for fuel may be cut very young. Hazel is generally 

 fit for dead hedges, grape-poles, &c., from nine to ten years old ; ash, for 

 hop poles and sheep cribs, at the same age ; other woods for fences, from 

 eleven to fourteen years old ; ash, birch, beech, hickory, alder, willows, for 

 turners' uses, rafters, &c., from sixteen to twenty years old. Wood-cut- 

 ting generally commences in November, and may be carried on through 

 the winter months till March, but should be completed before April, except 

 where the wood is to be barked, in which case the beginning of May is the 

 proper time, as it will then peel the best. The older wood is, the later it 

 should be cut in the spring. If cut early, and a hard winter ensues, the 

 damage done to the stocks will be very great. Young, flourishing wood 

 may be cut at any proper season, but will he far more durable, when cut 



