THE PINE. 49 



tion. The thinnings (for pines should be planted 

 very close together at first) are well adapted for fuel, 

 for palings, and many other domestic purposes. The 

 leaves, as they fall off, destroy the heath and other 

 hard plants, which are succeeded by mosses and 

 grasses, the remains of which, when ploughed into 

 the soil, make it susceptible of bearing crops either 

 of grain or of green vegetables ; and the timber at 

 last, after paying all its expenses by the repeated 

 thinnings, furnishes a better rent than could be ob- 

 tained by any other means. In order to secure these 

 advantages, it is necessary that the soil should be 

 properly chosen ; for we have seen instances in which, 

 during thirty years, the average increase of the trees 

 in height has hardly been an inch, while, in situa- 

 tions not particularly unfavourable, it might not be 

 much less than thirty feet. It is fortunate, however, 

 that those places which do not agree with the com- 

 mon pine are generally well adapted for the larch; 

 and in the very instances to which we have alluded, 

 a row of larches, planted simultaneously with the 

 pines, are now of more feet in height than the 

 pines are of inches. So that if the planter finds his 

 pines will not thrive, which he can soon do by ob- 

 serving the turpentine exuding through the leaves 

 and buds, and covering them like hoar frost, he ought 

 immediately to root them out and replace them with 

 larches. In like manner, when the larch exhibits 

 this appearance on the leaves, and especially on the 

 branches, it will never come to maturity. Care must 

 be taken, however, not to mistake the pollen for this 

 disease. The pollen appears only when the male 

 flowers are in bloom; it has a tinge of yellow, and 

 it seldom adheres to the leaves, and never to the 

 branches; whereas the turpentine is white and efflo- 

 rescent, adheres to the twigs and leaves, and cannot 

 DC shaken off without difficulty. 



VOL. II. 5 



