136 NATURAL HISTOHY OF SCOTCH FIR. 



" The replenishings thus obtained are not generally so thick and 

 so good as can be obtained by hand sowing ; but they offer many 

 important advantages which these do not : in point of fact, the young 

 plants of the ^^mi sylvestre are very robust, and grow with rapidity in 

 their first youth if they be rather sparsely sown ; their lower branches 

 display themselves, the foot of the trunk becomes thick and strong, 

 and by degrees the forest mass forms itself, and becomes so compact as 

 to give a very complete replenishing before arriving at the state of 

 gaulis. 



" The natural sowings, probably because they are less dense, 

 escape almost entirely the grave evil of defoliation which generally 

 comes upon artificial sowings, and often retards their development 

 during many years. 



" Finally, in despite of the advantage which may be had from 

 practising a great clearing amongst the saplings, the difficulty of 

 carrying out this delicate operation on an extensive scale prevents 

 recourse being had to it ; and the artificial sowings, too thick at the 

 first, do not present more when they arrive at the state of gaulis 

 than long weak stems, and often they have not a future because the 

 young pines are liable to bend or break under the weight of snow 

 or of hoar frost, on account of their branches being spread and their 

 leaves long, and also it may be from the snow often falling in large 

 flakes, and in great quantities at a time in the climate inhabited by 

 this tree ; hence it may be concluded that they will stand only a very ' 

 partial clearing. But this tree, after it has passed the stage of gaulis, 

 sustains but badly a dense mass : branches which cross each other 

 lose their leaves, and are not slow to perish ; the head of the tree, 

 instead of developing, becomes lanky, narrow, and, when this ab- 

 normal condition continues long, most of the tops become deformed, 

 the trunks themselves contract diseases, and the whole mass becomes 

 at times unfit to attain an advanced age or fine dimensions. To 

 prevent this last and grave inconvenience, without at the same time 

 exposing the young pine forest to being destroyed by the snow, the 

 most certain method, the efficacy of which has been tested by ex- 

 perience, consists in executing the first thinning, contrary to the 

 general theory, while the wood is still in the state of thicket at the 

 time when the lowermost branches begin to dry, and in carrying 

 this out unsparingly. In point of fact, it may come to pass in this 

 way that the produce so abundant in the first youth of a pine forest, 

 may find itself restricted or at least diminished ; but this incon- 

 venience will only be temporaiy, till the remaining stems, having 



