THINNING THE SHOOTS. 



253 



With these tools the workman is to proceed thus : 

 Let him bend down the shoots which are to be ta- 

 ken away, and place his foot upon them, to leave 

 both hands at liberty. Let him then place the 

 chisel close to the place where they are joined to the 

 parent stock, and strike its head with the mallet till 

 the shoots are displaced. I know of no method 

 which is so safe and expeditious as this, and which, 

 at the same time, does the work so effectually. If 

 an axe or bill be used, it will be extremely difficult, 

 even with the greatest care, to avoid injuring either 

 the shoots that are to be left, the parent stock, or 

 both. Another objection to the use of the last- 

 mentioned instruments is, that, with them, it is for 

 the most part next to impossible to cut off the shoots 

 close by the roots ; and if this is not done, a multi- 

 tude of young suckers will spring from the parts 

 left, and double the labour at some future period. 

 At the same time that the superfluous shoots are re- 

 moved, the rest should be carefully pruned. 



The number of shoots here directed to be left will, 

 if they are designed for coppice, require no more 

 thinning ; but if it is intended that a new crop of 

 timber be reared, it will afterwards be necessary to 

 displace them gradually. The reader may here be 

 ready to ask, Why not do the work at once, and 



