ITS TREES
111
monks of Waltham, or possibly to their sporting
instincts. At least, it is recorded that " they
were permitted to assart their lands in Woodford
and many other places ; and enclose them with a
ditch and low hedge, that they might take of their
woods at their pleasure, to hunt the fox, hare, and
cat in the forest ; that their dogs should not be
expeditated," etc. I ought to add, however, that,
as regards Monk Wood, the lord of the manor of
Loughton is of opinion that its unrestricted growth
dates from much more recent times. If this is
correct, we may hope that, within a few genera-
tions, the same larger growth will prevail over the
whole of the wooded area, provided only that the
trees are thinned in a timely and judicious
manner. The mop-head growth substituted by
the process of lopping, for the natural shape, is
not only destructive of all variety and grandeur
in the timber, but owing to the lodgment of
moisture in the crown, and the consequent rotting
of the heart of the timber, is fatal to the health
and long life of the tree, and weakens its resist-
ance to gales. All kinds of trees were subject to
this periodical mutilation except the crab-apple
trees, which abound in some sections, and which
were specially excepted on account of the deer,
who greedily devour the bright-coloured, but to
our taste bitter, fruit, when it falls in the autumn.
While, however, we cannot but regret the effects
of this merciless treatment in the past, we can
afford to look back leniently on this ancient right,
unique in its way, on account of the important
part which it bore in the preservation of the Forest
(see p. 16). It is now abolished for ever, and
those who exercised it were compensated under
the orders of the arbitrator. Henceforth it is one
of the most important duties of those who have
the control of the Forest, to see that the restoring
power of nature has free play as soon as possible.
In most of the Forest groves a fair number of
"spear" or straight-grown trees, especially oaks,
have been suffered to grow unmutilated, and
though the finest have been removed by those