THE ENEMIES OF ENGLISH WOODLANDS 279 



of a few sickly individuals, from their stems being used as 

 breeding material, is not a serious matter. But when young 

 and old woods are mixed together, as is usually the case, 

 every reasonable precaution should be taken to prevent the 

 existence of the beetle in large numbers. To stamp it out 

 altogether may not be within the range of practical forestry, 

 but it is possible to keep it sufficiently in check to prevent 

 any serious damage being done. 



Felled timber being the most frequent material for 

 breeding it on a large scale, attention should first be directed 

 towards its being cleared away to a safe distance from the 

 exposed area early in the summer, or at latest by the middle 

 of May. Its presence up to that time is beneficial rather 

 than otherwise, as it attracts those beetles which have 

 hibernated in the surrounding trees, and prevents them 

 from turning their attention to other material, such as 

 suppressed or weakly stems. If cleared away before the 

 first generation appears, the larvae or pupse are removed 

 with it to a distance which renders attack impossible, and 

 no extra cost is incurred in the way of direct preventive 

 measures. Where pine timber is felled more or less 

 annually, an endeavour should be made to cut in the autumn 

 or winter, and arrange that buyers should clear it away in 

 good time. As a rule, there is no excuse for leaving the 

 timber about more than three months after its purchase, and 

 in cases such as these, its removal should be firmly insisted 

 upon, or the timber confiscated or removed by the vendor 

 himself at buyer's expense. 



When cases do occur in which the timber cannot be 

 removed at the proper time, as when large numbers of trees 

 are blown down by spring gales, and a clearance cannot be 

 effected under two or three months, other methods of pre- 

 vention must be adopted. The one usually recommended is 

 to bark the trees, and burn the tops and brush-wood. This 

 plan is effectual enough, no doubt, but whether it can be 

 done at a cost which falls short of the advantage gained, is 

 a question which deserves consideration. The burning of the 

 brush-wood, simple as it sounds, is comparatively expensive, 

 and the barking of the trees is still more expensive, while it 

 is objectionable from a technical point of view, owing to the 



