AMONG THE PINES AND FIRS 215 



a case of * Hobson's choice/ and the pine must 

 go where a crop of other trees can either not be 

 produced, or are not likely to prove remunerative. 

 Such land can often best be utilised by planting 

 pines, to be kept in close canopy till the growth 

 in height culminates and the natural demand for a 

 larger growing-space seems to make itself impe- 

 ratively felt. Then, usually between the thirtieth 

 and the forty-fifth year, they can be thinned 

 freely, yielding a good return in this way, and 

 underplanted with whatever shade-bearing kind 

 of tree seems to hold out the greatest promise 

 of being profitable. This should not be difficult, 

 because, under the close canopy of pine, the heavy 

 fall of needles improves the land so much that 

 its general quality and its productive capacity 

 soon become far higher than they were at the 

 time of planting. Thus close canopy is not only 

 profitable for the growing crop, but it increases, 

 de facto^ the capital value of the ground planted. 

 If, on the other hand, the natural manure with 

 which the soil is thus enriched year after year 

 by the dead needles be allowed to become dissi- 

 pated through neglect of close cover, or of under- 

 planting when the canopy becomes broken by 



