CHAPTER VII. 



Sylviculture ox the Landes of La Solognb. 



Besides the Landes of Gascony and the Landes of the Gironde which 

 are near the coast, we meet with Landes in inland situations in 

 France, arid regions, supporting but a sparse population, being 

 covered with heaths, and whins, and brooms, and other plants, which 

 take possession of waste and uncultivated lands, and yield little 

 nutriment for the support of man. Such are the Landes of La 

 Sologue, of which mention has been made in connection with details 

 given of the mauufactui-e of charcoal ; such also are the Landes of 

 Le Brenne, and of Le Limousin — with solitudes broken only by the 

 visits of poor shepherds tending or searching for their sheep, 

 contrasting strangely with the animation and bustle prevailing in 

 districts adjacent. 



In these we meet with another phase of sand dunes and drifting 

 sands, and of the culture of the maritime pine. 



There, as in many other places elsewhere, the growth of the 

 maritime pine is less luxuriant than it is in the district to which our 

 attention has hitherto been given. 



In the Landes of the Gironde the maritime pine propagates itself 

 by natural reproduction by self-sown seeds. There, all conditions are 

 peculiarly favourable to its growth. It is otherwise in the Depart- 

 ment of Maine and in La Sologne, 



In Sologne it is very rarely the case that a pinery is reproduced by 

 self-sown seed. In the first place the trees never attain to great age, 

 and they never furnish aught but a small quantity of seed. In the 

 second place a rejoeuplement, when it does make its appearance, soon 

 perishes under a dense covering of timber trees, which deprives it of 

 air and light. In fine, young saplings, which may have withstood 

 the injurious effects of too dense a shade, become oft-times the prey of 

 flocks of sheep, which the people have the bad custom to lead into 

 pineries, from which they should be strictly excluded. 



Of the Landes of La Sologne and of La Brenne, it has been 

 remarked that they are less known than are those of Gascony, 

 because they do not lie upon the old great lines of communication. 



