IN THE BEECHWOODS 143 
removed, so that about one-eighth of the cubic 
contents of the crop is harvested. At this stage 
useful preparation of the soil can be cheaply 
effected by driving cattle into the woods or 
by leading swine there for pannage. Stunted, 
dwarfish, bushy saplings will usually be found 
self-sown before this; but as they seldom de- 
velop well, they should be cleared from the 
ground to make way for the regular crop of 
seedlings, while softwoods like birch or aspen 
should be cut out as weeds. 
The first time a good mast year comes round 
after that, a ‘seed felling” is made by removing 
from a quarter to one-third of the mature crop 
still on the ground, the trees left being preferably 
those girthing about forty to fifty inches at breast 
height, and having shapely, high-set crowns. The 
larger fall is made on rather dry soils to allow 
the seedling crop to have the benefit of the night 
dews, while the smaller quantity is removed in 
places prone to rank growth of weeds. The 
frequent driving of cattle through the woods 
and pannage of swine during the mast year is 
highly beneficial to the regeneration. Though 
the pigs eat greedily of the beech-nuts, they break 
