PHEASANTS 139 



demanded by the sport. To afford more cover on 

 the estate the old woods could be underplanted, 

 and the soil would be the gainer. They would 

 change more often than has been the case in the past, 

 since as soon as the woods had reached the com- 

 mercial felling age they would be cut out and the 

 areas replanted. Consequently the varying position 

 of the old woods would necessitate modifications in 

 the system of driving the covers. But this to a 

 proprietor who is himself interested in this aspect 

 of the sport would present an added interest. And 

 the same applies to the good keeper. 



On the subject of the attraction a young plantation 

 in its early youth has for pheasants, I ma^ give an 

 illustration culled from personal observation during 

 the past shooting-season, I planted a small piece of 

 larch, barely above half an acre. It is eight years old, 

 from the seed, and growing remarkably welL The 

 area had been felled during the war. On one side 

 lies a stretch of arable land, on the others three old 

 woods on the slopes of a glen, with practically no 

 undergrowth in them on the south and western 

 aspects. I visited the Uttle plantation, once or 

 twice throughout the winter. More often than 

 not a large covey of partridges reared in some 

 rather tall larch in the nursery, a quarter of a mile 

 away, were to be found in the plantation, and as 

 often pheasants in varying numbers were to be 

 observed scratching about for food. It is needless 

 to say that no food of any description had been 

 put into the woods dxiring the season. The little 

 plantation on its own merits attracted the birds, 

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