86i 
Woods of North-East Kent. 
Year. 
In. 
Year. 
In. 
Year. 
In. 
1897 
26-84 
1902 
24.4 
1907 
26.61 
1898 
23.68 
T 9°3 
40-89 
1908 
28-35 
1899 
27.4 
1904 
28-09 
1909 
36.29 
1900 
30.61 
1905 
29.24 
1901 
24.94 
1906 
29.22 
The mean annual rainfall calculated for the 42 years ending 1909 was 
29-13 in. 
Almost all of the woods under consideration are of the copse type, felling 
taking place usually at intervals of 14-15 years. The larger growths thus 
obtained are used extensively as Hop-poles, while the rest is made into faggots. 
In the cases where felling is complete and all the trees are cut off, the result¬ 
ing woodland may be described as ‘coppice’, the term being used as 
suggested by Nisbet ( 12 ). In the majority of the woods standard trees 
occur amongst the underwood which are only felled at considerably longer 
intervals ; a wood of the latter kind may be distinguished as ‘ copse \ 
As a result of felling there is a great increase in the number of herba¬ 
ceous plants. The factors bringing about this increase will be discussed 
later, but it is necessary to point out here that in many cases the species 
which appear are not typical woodland plants. Comparatively few species 
can exist under the deep shade cast during the later years of the coppice 
growth, and, as a result of felling, a stretch of almost unoccupied soil is 
produced, which is rapidly colonized by plants from various sources. In the 
following description of the types characteristic of various soils, all the 
plants occurring in the woods will be considered, whether they are true 
woodland species or not. 
In this part of Kent, where cultivation is widespread and has gone on for 
a long period, little can be said as to the original condition of the woodland. 
Probably all the woods under consideration are of comparatively recent 
origin, and it is extremely doubtful whether any of the primitive forest 
remains. It appears that planting went on fairly extensively in these copses 
until quite recent times, but that this has been largely discontinued of late 
years on account of the great decrease in prices obtained for the underwood. 
At the present time it consists to a great extent of merely filling in the 
gaps left by the death of some of the ‘ stools ’. In many cases, too, little 
consideration is paid to the suitability of the soil to the particular species 
planted. As a result of these facts, it is usually difficult to distinguish 
certain species as characteristic of particular soils when trees only are 
considered. The occurrence of herbaceous plants is a much better guide for 
generalizations of this kind. 
In this district the distribution of the various types of woodland is 
intimately connected with the differences in the soil composition. In the 
ensuing description, therefore, the different geological formations are taken 
as the basis for classification. 
3 L 
