97 



of man, or beast, or neighbouring trees. If 

 there is an exception to this rule, it is the 

 Itahan pine. 



Trees which are valueless as timber, 

 such as pollards, and which therefore 

 escape the axe, I believe continue to exist 

 for centuries, perhaps for thousands of 

 years, even after they are hollow. The 

 old pollards which grace our forest grounds 

 and commons were probably headed as 

 young trees, and their growth cut peri 

 odically, as our underwood is now, the 

 browsing of the deer and cattle necessi- 

 tating in such places this sort of aerial 

 coppice-wood. However the heads of these 

 may be lopped, every year of life adds one 

 ring of new wood and bark to the girthing of 

 the stem. The same takes place when the 

 tree is perfectly hollow. The inside dead 

 wood being dry and unporous prevents 

 the bleeding or efflux of the sap. I have 

 found the girthing of some of these relics 

 of the olden time much greater than .the 



G 



