200 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES 
been artificially planted. In all recent plantations there is bound to be 
competition by weed and grass growth ; it may be also woody scrub, stool 
shoots, or interloping and unwanted light-seeded invaders. Cleaning and 
weeding must not be delayed. Careful tending of the young tries should 
begin early. Too often plantations are left to look after themselves 
until they are supposed to have arrived at the thinning stage, when they 
may yield something in the way of returns for the cost of thinning. But 
by this time irreparable damage may have been already done to the grow- 
ing crops. Not only is weeding and cleaning necessary during this period, 
but now is the time to remove and replace trees of inferior growth habit, 
which they begin to show at this early stage. ‘Trees which naturally tend 
to fork cannot be improved by pruning off one of the leaders : forking will 
be repeated later on, as this natural individual tendency persists throughout 
the life of the tree. ‘The same thing applies to all trees with faulty stem 
and crown formation. Among all species, but more especially among 
broad-leaved trees and in particular the beech, it is these heavy-branched, 
spreading-crowned, short-stemmed trees which may forge ahead and 
become predominant in the mature stand at the cost, it may be, of smaller 
but better-formed and more valuable trees. Therefore by the timely 
removal of such individuals, so-called wolf trees, much future trouble, 
cost and loss will be avoided. A certain amount of thinning may be 
advisable before the pole stage is reached, but such operations should be 
confined to completely suppressed, back-going and dead trees and aggres- 
sive, malformed wolf trees. For various species under average conditions 
the period of the pole stage falls between the twentieth and the fortieth 
year. This should be the time of greatest density in the life of the stand. 
The trees have reached the stage of their most rapid annual growth in 
height, and this is further stimulated by the density of the stand, which 
also leads to lateral branch suppression and the cleaning of the stems. 
The density must not be too great, otherwise the trees are liable to become 
too long and attenuated to carry their own weight. It is here the skill of 
the forester is put to the test. Now is the time, and indeed the best 
opportunity, during the whole life of the stand to encourage length, form 
and cleanness of stem. Growth in height is dependent upon crown 
room and light ; and cleanness of stem is dependent upon crown density 
and shade. ‘These two opposing conditions must be so balanced that 
the one will not defeat the object of the other. The thinnings during this 
period will depend upon the planting distance originally adopted and the 
amount of care and attention which has been given to the young growth 
until the branches meet and establish cover or canopy when the thickest 
stage is reached. The maintenance of pole stage density is prolonged 
until the side branches have been killed off, by side shade, up to the 
desired height on the stem. Subsequent drying, decay and fall is merely 
a matter of time. Up to this stage, which will occupy as a general rule 
the first half of the rotation, the main endeavour is to secure a good 
growing stock of tall, straight, clean-stemmed trees. In the second half 
of the rotation, which we have called the tree stage or adult stage, the 
problem in tending should resolve itself into obtaining the greatest 
volume production and quality of timber by encouragement and control 
