_^S ON THE TAPPING OF THE CLUSTER PINE. 259 



seen here and there bearing traces of several of 

 them. It frequently happens that from want of 

 sufficient adherence, the bark separates on each side 

 of the old wounds, the separation being wider at the 

 middle, where also the consequent swelling out of 

 the bark is naturally greater. This phenomenon 

 gives the lower part of the stem the shape of a 

 spindle, and the tree looks as if it would be 

 crushed under its own weight. 



In private forests the quarres are often allowed to 

 reach a height of thirteen to sixteen feet, and two or 

 three are worked at a time on thick trees. This is 

 a bad practice. If for the time being the tree is 

 made to yield a large quantity of resin, its longevity 

 is materially shortened. 



As we have already indicated, gemmage a mort is 

 practised only in the case of trees near their matu- 

 rity, or of those which are to be felled in the very 

 next thinning operations. It is begun as soon as 

 the trees are big enough to hold a quarre, in other 

 words, as soon as they have attained a girth of twenty 

 to twenty-four inches. This generally happens at 

 the age of twenty years. The quarres are opened in 

 precisely the same manner as in the first process ; 

 only they are worked up faster, and several at a time 

 are opened in each tree. Usually a tree treated thus 

 dies in three or four years. 



When a new quarre is cut or an old one re-opened, 

 the resin oozes out in bead-like drops. A portion 

 of it flows down the wound ; the rest, owing to vola- 

 tilisation, solidifies and forms a crust over the wood. 

 This solid substance is known under the name of 



