52 



EXPLOITATJON IN GASCONY. 



it is less vigorous, produces less resin, and is of a smaller size ; and 

 the woods are not so thickly planted. Farther north, and especially 

 in the basin of the Loire, where, as I think, foolishly it has been 

 extensively introduced, it is not in its element. It does not 

 reproduce itself naturally, it is short lived, its wood loses all its good 

 qualities, and it is not possible to tap it with advantage. 



"Resin never abounds unless the trees have plenty of room, are 

 vigorous, and have thick foliage ; it is thus a good plan to thin 

 plantations at the age of from six to eight years. Till the age of 

 twenty, the thinnings should be repeated every five or six years, so as 

 to leave at that period no more than 600 or 700 trees per hectare. 

 Those intended for felling should now be tapped. This is why 

 200 or 250 trees to be felled are now marked beforehand. When the 

 plantation is thirty yearsold, only 250 or 300 should be left per hectare. 

 This number is further reduced to 200 or even 150, which remain till 

 nearly seventy or eighty years of age, when the pinery should be 

 renewed, that is to say, if resinous products are not the chief object. 



" This renewal may be effected either by means of the self-sown 

 plants which have sprung up in later years, or by artificial planting. 

 According to M. Eloi Samanos, this is usually done by seed in the 

 Landes. A.s to the mode, he advises lines from 4 to 6 metres distant 

 from each other to be marked out, according as the trees are to be 

 placed ; this should be deeply trenched, either by the mattock or 

 plough, for a breadth of 60 centimetres ; 6 kilogrammes of seed should 

 be allowed per hectare, which should be covered in by a slight 

 harrowing. 



"While the early thinnings are going on, before beginning the 

 gemmage or tapping, the lower branches are lopped, so as to leave a 

 bare trunk of at least 5 metres high ; this is to hinder the formation 

 of dead branches which interfere with the flow of the resin. The 

 incisions can be made more easily and regularly in the layers of 

 wood covering these old wounds. Experience has proved the benefit 

 of this, but, on lopping branches close to the stem, care should be 

 taken not to enlarge the wound unnecessarily. It should always be 

 remembered that a tree never has too many leaves, and therefore too 

 many branches should never be lopped at once. 



" It may easily be supposed that in thinning the young plantations 

 and in lopping the lower branches, the soil is left without sufficient 

 shelter. The sparse foliage of the pine adds to the evil. But there 

 immediately appears a thick vegetation of grass, whins, heath, broom, 

 thorns, &c. ; this is a very valuable source of litter and manure. But 



