228 ON THE COKSICAN FIR. 



subjected to tiie inSuence of heat, it becomes soapy and use- 

 less for the purpose of producing turpentine and colophony. 

 The reason is as follows: — Eesinous oil is a compound of 

 glycerine, therefore when boiled with a caustic alkali undergoes 

 saponification, i.e., the caustic alkali decomposes the compound, 

 forming an alkaline stearite (soap), and liberating the glycerine, 

 which passes into solution. Eesins acted on as above will only 

 once, be resetted, and the evil practice will thus speedily be put 

 an end to, seeing that the class of people committing such thefts 

 do not do so for amusement, but in order to gain the necessaries of 

 life; consequently, if resetters refuse their wares, they must be 

 compelled to turn their attention to some other mode of employ- 

 ing their time. 



The advantage to be gained bv extracting the resinous fluid is 

 the deriving of an income from forests lying in remote parts, 

 where the timber is of little value. Nature, however, has made 

 no provision for it being cast forth, on the contrary, she stores it 

 up in the inner wood, so tliat its extraction must act detrimentally 

 on the vigour and development of the tree. The annual increase 

 of growth cannot be so large as if the tree had still the full 

 covering of bark, and were in a normal condition. This diminu- 

 tion (about one-third) of the annual increase of growth, however, 

 is more than amply repaid by the income derived from the resin. 

 The stems are more liable to be broken by snow and storms, and 

 a large quantity of what would be serviceable timber is damaged, 

 unless the operation has been prudently conducted. The quality 

 of the seed becomes inferior, and if exported may, by yielding 

 weakly plants, discourage the rearing of this tree under circum- 

 stances which might render its cultivation remunerative, and 

 v;ould improve the w^ater supply of a district {e.g., the planting 

 up of barren, limy hill-sides of considerable extent). In the 

 case of the Corsican fir, the supply of resinous fluid seems, 

 curiously enough, to increase instead of diminishing under this 

 treatment, and such wood saturated with resin is then more 

 highly j)rized, both as fuel and as charcoal (the tar won at the 

 kiln being equal in importance to the charcoal itself). The 

 roots are often dug out, and used for manufacturing tar, lamp- 

 black, and charcoal, being sold at prices that yield a fair profit 

 after covering all expenses. 



A not inconsiderable income may be derived from gathering 

 the cones in good seed-years, and extracting, either artificially 

 or simply by means of the sun's heat, the seed. During the 

 last ten years the average price has been about L.IO, 10s. per 

 cwt., or Is. lOid. per lb., having doubled itself since much has 

 been done for its introduction as a forest tree into France, 

 Germany, Holland, Norway, and Scotland. 



The leaves, like those of the Scotch fir, are, after a process of 



