40 BULLETIN 11, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
to insure pruning of lateral branches and to keep the ground fairly 
well shaded in order to prevent heavy undergrowth from springing up 
and in order to keep the soil moist. Where large gaps are formed in 
the upper leaf canopy by the removal of unhealthy or otherwise unde- 
sirable dominant or codominant trees healthy overtopped trees 
should be left to protect the soil. 
Thinnings should be made in the winter, when there is the least 
danger from destructive insects breeding in the slash. Further to 
lessen danger from insects it is always best to lop the tops of the trees 
and burn the brush. 
IMPROVEMENT CUTTINGS IN MIXED STANDS. 
Improvement cuttings in mixed stands, to favor loblolly pine, will 
often be advisable, especially for farmers with woodlots who can 
work in their woodlands at spare times during the winter. They are 
made, as their name implies, primarily to improve the quality com- 
position of the stand, and may be conveniently classified under (1) 
cutting in young sapling stands which will yield little or no usable 
material, and (2) cuttings in older stands where the material removed 
is large enough to be of some use. 
Cuttings in sapling stands 5 to 10 years old should consist in weed- 
ing, or the cutting of undesirable species, and cleanings, or the cutting 
of inferior individuals of desirable species. These are known as dis- 
engagement cuttings, the object being to free or disengage the crowns 
of the more desirable trees from injurious contact with or suppression 
by the less desirable. This can often be accomplished by simply 
topping the interfering saplings individually with one slash of a brush 
ax or a corn knife. It is not necessary to cut back inferior trees which 
are not interfering with the better individuals. One man should 
cover from one to two acres a day in this kind of work. Scattering 
large trees, which have been left in previous cuttings because worth- 
less for anything but fuel, might also be cut at the same time. 
In mixed irregular stands, cut over several times but with a large 
number of inferior trees remaining, under which considerable sapling 
and small pole growth of loblolly pine and other species has sprung 
up, there is often an excellent chance to make an improvement cut- 
ting which will greatly benefit the loblolly. All the large inferior 
trees should be cut, care being taken not to damage the young lob- 
lolly pine which it is wished to favor. Sometimes, in fact, it may be 
best simply to girdle the large trees and leave them standing. All 
young growth of inferior species which is over topping the pine should 
also be cut. Besides benefiting the future stand, these cuttings should 
at least be productive of a large amount of cordwood. 
