THE BEED-FKLLIjiia IN THE UNIFORM METHOD. 341 



more than one principal species, the first felHng having served for 

 only one of them. 



III. Severity of the seed-feUing. 



The amount of light admissible inside a seed-coupe must satisfy 

 the aggregate requirements in each case, and will hence vary ac- 

 cording to those requirements. It will depend : — 



(i) On the species to he reproduced. Thus the seedlings of some 

 species suffer more than others from immediate contact with weeds 

 and brushwood, the abundance of which in each case will mainly 

 be proportionate to the amount of light reaching the ground. Then 

 again, some species require more shade than others in order to be 

 prevented from throwing up a mass of shoots from the stools and 

 roots of the individuals cut. So also in mixed forest the amount 

 of light admissible into the coupe will be regulated especially in 

 the interests of those species whose propagation is most desired, or 

 of some one of the principal species the reproduction of which is 

 peculiarly difficult. Lastly, if an advance growth of any species 

 has come up as a result of the preparatory fellings, the seed-felHng 

 must obviously be more nearly adapted to the requirements of the 

 rest, in proportion to the sufficiency of that advance growth and to 

 the importance of the latter class of species or the difficulty of 

 their regeneration. In this case, the seed-felling must serve as a 

 mild after-felHng for the advance growth. 



(ii) On the age and condition of the parent crop. The younger 

 or more vigorous the component trees are, the more speedily will 

 they expand their crowns and narrow or close up openings made 

 in the leaf-canopy by the seed-felHng and hence the more open 

 may or must be the felling. At the same time it must not be for- 

 gotten that with the same density of the leaf-canopy, light is more 

 effective and there is more room in the soil under lofty than under 

 low deep crowns. 



(iii) On the nature of the soil and locality. Due consideration 

 must be given to the brightness or heating power of the sun, the 

 clearness and dryness of the atmosphere, the character of the aspect, 

 the severity or mildness or absence of frosts, the violence, constancy, 

 direction and harmfulness of dangerous winds, the frequency and 

 abundance or fitfulness and scarcity of rain, &c. Some soils are 

 more liable to drought than others, or to be overrun with rank 

 growth of weeds and brushwood, or to be infested with insects, and 

 soon. In respect of gradient it must not be forgotten that the 

 steeper a slope is, the larger is the amount of side-light that can 



