294 A FOREST TOUR AMONG THE DUNES OF GASCONY, 
becomes excessively dry, as it does during the summer on the 
shores of the Mediterranean; and thus, where the quality of the 
soil admits of it, a fairly varied vegetation is produced. But this 
condition is rarely satisfied, for the deep soil of the dunes is exces- 
sively poor, and the number of species found growing on it is 
extremely limited. Very few shells are found on this coast, the 
soil containing but little lime, and not more than from 3 to 6 per 
cent. of substances other than fragments of quartz. It is surprising 
to note what a luxuriant vegetation is produced under such circum- 
stances. The cluster pine, which is mixed in places with a few 
oaks (Q. pedunculata), and a small proportion of other species, 
attains considerable dimensions ; while there is a dense undergrowth, 
consisting of broom, gorse, heather, ferns, and other plants, which 
flourish on siliceous soil. On the old plain of the Jandes the sand 
is mixed with a considerable quantity of vegetable débris, and con- 
tains much iron, an impermeable stratum of ferruginous sandstone 
(ahios), mixed with more or less organic matter, lying at a short 
distance below the surface. 
The first works were undertaken here, in the year 1789, by M. 
Brémontier, an engineer, whose memory is honoured at Labouheyre 
by a bust, mounted on the same pedestal upon which, until the 
days of the Second Empire closed with the disasters of 1871, stood 
the statue of Napoleon III. TZempora mutantur! The Forest 
Department took charge of the operations in 1862. But it is 
certain that the cluster pine either grew spontaneously in this 
region, or had been introduced, long before M. Brémontier’s time ; 
for in the old part of the forest of La Teste, near Arcachon, we 
saw trees which must have been 200 years old, and the process 
of extracting resin from which had apparently been carried on for 
at least 150 years. This pine, which now constitutes the principal 
wealth of the district, is eminently adapted for the use to which it 
has been put; it grows splendidly on the soil and in the climate of 
the south-west coast, while it possesses a well-developed tap-root 
and strong lateral roots, which send down numerous secondary 
vertical roots to force their way deeply into the soil, thus holding 
it together, and enabling the tree to draw its supply of moisture 
from a considerable depth; at the same time the resin which it 
yields is a most valuable product. Although the cluster pine is 
found north of the Gironde, it is there much less vigorous and 
yields less resin ; while in the valley of the Loire it no longer grows 
spontaneously, and it there loses nearly all its valuable qualities. 
