ITS MANAGEMENT 161
the present time such " spears " have been removed
for the benefit of the remainder. If more are taken
it will be because they are wanted—a very dangerous
principle to admit in the management of this
woodland.
In various parts of the Forest, groves of young
trees are coming forward to take the place of
more stately trees when these decay. Of course
care must be taken that the commoners' cattle are
not increased, and that the deer also are kept
within reasonable limits, as, if the Forest were
"surcharged," no saplings would be allowed to
reach maturity. Even now it is only with
difficulty that a few "get away." Note how
most of them do so only through the protection
afforded by thorn bushes. Favourable examples
of this may be seen on either side of the road
from High Beach to the Wake Arms.
Assistance may be given to the self-sown plan-
tations by a little temporary protection from brows-
ing. Some experiments have been made in this
direction by putting a slight fence round certain
areas. The weakness of this method is, that
though the commoners' cattle are kept out, the
deer are too nimble. Possibly a hopeful experi-
ment is to throw down groups of valueless pollard
trees with all the branches on, thus protecting the
seedlings until they have grown through these
branches to a height of four or five feet, but some
authorities dissent from this.
For the reasons given above I think it a mistake
for the Forest Committee to maintain a nursery. It
never can be necessary to plant considerable areas,
and the limited number of trees which may be
required for the concealment of unsightly objects
would be more cheaply bought from nurserymen.
Apart from its expense, there are strong reasons
against keeping a large stock of young trees. Being
there they must be used, and this is a temptation
to make more plantations, which are not only no
advantage, but a serious eyesore, because they
give an artificial " parky " appearance to the Forest.
In this opinion, the experienced gentlemen, or at