feEGHTNEBATION BY STOOL-SHOO'fS. 3Sl 



base, the shoots that sprirfg up from that regicmt forrtf a circle wide' 

 enough to enable several of them to survive-.- Hence' cutting by the 

 base serves to increase very considerably the number of stems at 

 each exploitation. The result of such increase is seen in an ever^ 

 ■widening circle of clumps which may aiU be traced to the original 

 stool at the centrte ; the circular arrimgement of course becomes 

 eventually obsour'ed,- when several circles, -widening out round 

 their respective adjacent original stools, t)egin to intersect one 

 another. The number" of stools ine-rease in geometrical progression 

 at each successive exploitstion,- and an originally open forest ntay' 

 hence become rapidly denser till the crop is complete. It is ob-' 

 ■vious that if the stools are cut above a certain height, no Jncrease' 

 in their number is possible, for at each exploitation the very sam-e' 

 tree has to be cut over again. 



(vii) As a consequence of all the pr'eceding advantages, each- 

 stool cut flush with the ground produces a thick spreading clump 

 and conttibutes- Very powerfully to the early formation and closing 

 Tip of the leaf-canopy and the protection of the soil, which is laid- 

 bare at every exploitation/ 



(■viii) As a further consequence of the preceding conditioDS, 

 ■when the stools are cut back flush with the ground, the trees re- 

 main sound and healthy right down to the base, and thus not only 

 jdeld a larger quantity and higher' quality of timber, hut furnish 

 better stools for the production of the next generation. Moreover, 

 ihe coppicing power of the trees is thereby prolonged.- 



Some species can throw up shoots from the lowest point of the 

 Crown of the roots,- and this even if the central portion of the 

 stool has been removed and the main roots completely disconnected 

 from each other, ^. g. Zizyphni spp.. Acacia Catechu, teak, &c. 

 If wood is valuable and the price of the additional wood secured 

 covers or even nearly covers the cost of the special operation, 

 stems of sucii species, from about 6 inches and upwards in dia- 

 ineter, should be cut inside the ground or stubbed out altogether, 

 according to the circumstances of the case, thereby securing the 

 production of shoots which are equal in aspect, stability, and 

 soundness to the best seedhngs. It is unnecessary to stub out 

 smaller stools, as their insignificant size cannot interfere -with the 

 soundness and health of the futui-e coppice, and moreover the 

 small amount of wood in their underground portion would hardly 

 ever be worth the trouble or the expense of getting out. 



There is only a single exception to the general rale laid down 

 regarding the height at which stools should be cut, and that occurs 



